Summary Treatment Planning in Radiotherapy – Complete 7-Page Cheat Sheet for Radiotherapy Students and Clinicians

TREATMENT PLANNING IN
RADIOTHERAPY
7 PAGE CHEAT SHEET

, OVERVIEW OF TREATMENT PLANNING
1. Core Steps in Radiotherapy Treatment Planning
1. Patient consultation & clinical assessment
2. Immobilization & simulation
3. Image acquisition (CT/MRI/PET)
4. Contouring:
o GTV
o CTV
o ITV
o PTV
o OARs (Organs at Risk)
5. Treatment technique selection
6. Dose prescription
7. Planning setup & beam arrangement
8. Optimization (forward or inverse)
9. Dose calculation
10. QA (patient-specific and machine)
11. Treatment delivery
12. Verification & adaptations

2. Imaging Essentials
CT
 Gold standard

 Provides electron density → dose calculation

 Slice thickness: 1–3 mm recommended
MRI
 Superior soft tissue definition

 Used for fusion, especially in CNS, pelvis, head & neck