Radiation Therapy Digital Data Submission Process for National Clinical Trials Network

Abstract

As part of the consolidation of the cooperative group clinical trial program of the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core services organization (IROC) has been formed from current leading quality assurance (QA) centers to provide QA, along with clinical and scientific expertise, for the entire NCTN (1). An integrated information technology (IT) infrastructure, the IROC cloud, has been implemented to foster collaborative and effective interactions among participating institutions, QA centers, NCTN cooperative groups and statistics data management centers, and the IT infrastructure of the NCI (Fig. 1). An integral component of the IROC cloud is the Transfer of Images and Data (TRIAD) system designed for imaging and radiation therapy digital data transmission. The TRIAD system is now being used for digital radiation therapy and imaging data transmission for NCTN (and other) clinical trials. Fig. 1 IROC cloud: An IROC Information Technology (IT) infrastructure vision. Consistency of submitted data contributes to better consistency in the treatment and review of trial data, and it facilitates scientific collaborations and also promotes safe clinical practice. The details of this data submission process are presented here.