Abstract
Quality control in radiotherapy reinforces the quality established within the framework of general programs of quality assurance. The control applies to the most critical aspects of treatment, thus enabling the elimination of systematic and sometimes random errors. Can quality control have an impact on treatment outcome? In radiotherapy, the result is dependent on several factors, starting with the exactitude of the initial diagnosis and ending with the therapeutic follow-up. In the literature, data show that some loco-regional failure and, in certain cases, the decrease in survival can be attributed to treatment error. Quality control in radiotherapy enables the analysis. of various typical errors and their consequence, particularly with regard to target volumes, irradiation fields, dose, or errors in calculation. This knowledge can limit errors to a minimum. Various systems, more or less sophisticated, should be able to limit errors before or during the treatment. Quality control leads to the improvement of treatment outcome; some examples will be given. However, these results are not always obvious. Quality control has a role to play in certain clinical circumstances which are difficult to analyze without precise and objective information on patient outcome. It can be an important component in the treatment of localizations that have had mediocre results. Besides its contribution to the improvement of local control and survival, quality control can also be an essential means of improving and decreasing post-therapeutic complications.
Published Version
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