Diagnostics (Feb 2023)

Automated Contouring and Planning in Radiation Therapy: What Is ‘Clinically Acceptable’?

  • Hana Baroudi,
  • Kristy K. Brock,
  • Wenhua Cao,
  • Xinru Chen,
  • Caroline Chung,
  • Laurence E. Court,
  • Mohammad D. El Basha,
  • Maguy Farhat,
  • Skylar Gay,
  • Mary P. Gronberg,
  • Aashish Chandra Gupta,
  • Soleil Hernandez,
  • Kai Huang,
  • David A. Jaffray,
  • Rebecca Lim,
  • Barbara Marquez,
  • Kelly Nealon,
  • Tucker J. Netherton,
  • Callistus M. Nguyen,
  • Brandon Reber,
  • Dong Joo Rhee,
  • Ramon M. Salazar,
  • Mihir D. Shanker,
  • Carlos Sjogreen,
  • McKell Woodland,
  • Jinzhong Yang,
  • Cenji Yu,
  • Yao Zhao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13040667
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 4
p. 667

Abstract

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Developers and users of artificial-intelligence-based tools for automatic contouring and treatment planning in radiotherapy are expected to assess clinical acceptability of these tools. However, what is ‘clinical acceptability’? Quantitative and qualitative approaches have been used to assess this ill-defined concept, all of which have advantages and disadvantages or limitations. The approach chosen may depend on the goal of the study as well as on available resources. In this paper, we discuss various aspects of ‘clinical acceptability’ and how they can move us toward a standard for defining clinical acceptability of new autocontouring and planning tools.

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