Problem Statement & Purpose of the Study

I chose an article from Radiation Therapist published in 2008 by Sharon Chestnut, Samuel
Painter and Anne Marie Vann. The article is titled ‘IMRT Treatment Planning Basics’. The
article discusses multiple facets that are necessary to produce an optimum IMRT (Intensity
Modulated Radiation Therapy) treatment plan.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to present the multiple components that are used to
produce a quality IMRT treatment plan for a head-and-neck patient.1

Problem: The article discusses the necessary steps to follow to produce a solid plan for treatment
delivery for a head-and-neck IMRT case.

Reading through the article, there are components that are necessary to produce a quality
treatment plan. It spells out that the contouring, setting of isocenter and beam arrangements are
critical first steps needed to start the planning process. Identification of the planning objectives,
how the plan is optimized and how the plan is evaluated are also discussed in the article.

The authors do a great job to identify the purpose of their work. In the opening paragraph the
purpose is readily stated. The article ‘presents a process for intensity modulated radiation therapy
(IMRT) treatment planning’.1 They go on to discuss the steps necessary to accomplish a quality
treatment plan.

Definition of the problem is left to the interpretation of the reader. An example of the
components of treatment planning is the impact of contouring, both planning target volumes
(PTV) and organs at risk (OAR). The authors talk about how time consuming this task is and the
importance of accuracy.

The article is well written and referenced by leaders in the radiotherapy community. Khan F.,
Chao K., and Hall E. are just a few of the authors that are used. Publications like the International
Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements and the National Cancer Institute Guidelines
are also listed as references.