ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S5893

RTT - Service evaluation, quality assurance and risk management

ESTRO 2024

A service evaluation investigating the treatment time for radical lung cancer patients

Grace Woods 1 , Lauren Oliver 2

1 Rosemere Cancer Centre, Radiotherapy, Preston, United Kingdom. 2 The University of Liverpool, Radiotherapy, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Purpose/Objective:

The UK aging population is increasing, contributing to the growing cancer incidence rates. Approximately 50% of all cancer patients would benefit from radiotherapy treatment as part of their primary management. Radiotherapy departments must allocate patients an appropriate treatment appointment duration to maintain the quality of care delivered. Modern radiotherapy methods have reduced treatment appointment times, however various complexity factors cannot be predicted. As a result, cancer patients often exceed their allocated radiotherapy appointment duration; this is particularly apparent for lung cancer patients due to the presence of co-morbidities, which typically increase in severity as treatment progresses. This project aimed to evaluate the current radiotherapy treatment duration allocated for lung cancer patients, with consideration of both treatment and patient complexity factors.

Material/Methods:

Quantitative data was collected within a single North-West radiotherapy centre for a period of 4 weeks on non consecutive days. The treatment time allocated, the actual treatment time required (from entering to exiting the treatment room), and 15 different complexity factors with the potential to impact the treatment time of radical lung cancer patients were recorded. Data for 19 patients were recorded, and a total of 76 different data sets were documented. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the treatment times recorded, including the mean, median, and standard deviation of the overall time and each complexity factor. Statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was conducted to determine the statistical significance of each complexity factor and the overall time recorded.

Results:

All radical lung patients recorded were allocated a standard 15-minute treatment appointment, yet over 70% of patients required additional time (figure 1). Of the 15 complexity factors recorded, 11 were statistically significant; these were split into ‘patient’ or ‘treatment’ factors, and clearly demonstrate how different complexities influence treatment appointment duration (table 1). The difference in overall treatment appointment time was statistically significant and identified that on average, patients required 3 minutes longer than allocated. This indicates that on average, radical lung cancer patients are not allocated an appropriate treatment appointment duration. Considering patient factors (table 1), the results clearly highlighted that treatment time increased with increasing patient co-morbidities. Patient gender did not have a significant impact on treatment time. However, treatment time increased with increasing lung cancer stage and performance status (PS). This highlighted that patient factors have a significant impact on treatment appointment duration and should be considered for each patient individually. Considering treatment factors (table 1), results demonstrated that the fraction number within the overall treatment course did not impact treatment time; IMRT treatments required more time than VMAT techniques, however some results were insufficiently recorded, and similar previous studies reported contrasting results considering IMRT