Trial reportRadiation oncology (London, England)2017
Quality assurance of the SCOPE 1 trial in oesophageal radiotherapy.
Trial report in Radiation oncology (London, England), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Radiotherapy quality assurance in the PROTECT trial - a European randomised phase III-trial comparing proton and photon therapy in the treatment of patients with oesophageal cancer.Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden) · 2025Trial
- Impact of PET/CT imaging on target volume delineation and radiotherapy planning in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2026Article
- A review of clinical trial radiotherapy quality assurance: value, evolution and lessons.Clinical and translational radiation oncology · 2026Review
- Impact of on-trial IGRT quality assurance in an international adaptive radiotherapy trial for participants with bladder cancer.Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology · 2024Article
- Association of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI andEuropean journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology · 2023Article
- Recognising the challenges of implementing multi-centre adaptive plan of the day radiotherapy.Technical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology · 2022Article
- Driving developments in UK oesophageal radiotherapy through the SCOPE trials.Radiation oncology (London, England) · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSCOPE 1 was the first UK based multi-centre trial involving radiotherapy of the oesophagus. A comprehensive radiotherapy trials quality assurance programme was launched with two main aims: 1. To assist centres, where needed, to adapt their radiotherapy techniques in order to achieve protocol compliance and thereby enable their participation in the trial. 2. To support the trial's clinical outcomes by ensuring the consistent planning and delivery of radiotherapy across all participating centres.
methodsA detailed information package was provided and centres were required to complete a benchmark case in which the delineated target volumes and organs at risk, dose distribution and completion of a plan assessment form were assessed prior to recruiting patients into the trial. Upon recruiting, the quality assurance (QA) programme continued to monitor the outlining and planning of radiotherapy treatments. Completion of a questionnaire was requested in order to gather information about each centre's equipment and techniques relating to their trial participation and to assess the impact of the trial nationally on standard practice for radiotherapy of the oesophagus. During the trial, advice was available for individual planning issues, and was circulated amongst the SCOPE 1 community in response to common areas of concern using bulletins.
results36 centres were supported through QA processes to enable their participation in SCOPE1. We discuss the issues which have arisen throughout this process and present details of the benchmark case solutions, centre questionnaires and on-trial protocol compliance. The range of submitted benchmark case GTV volumes was 29.8-67.8cm
conclusionsThe SCOPE 1 QA programme outcomes lend support to the trial's clinical conclusions. The range of patient planning outcomes for the benchmark case indicated, at the outset of the trial, the significant degree of variation present in UK oesophageal radiotherapy planning outcomes, despite the presence of a protocol. This supports the case for increasingly detailed definition of practice by means of consensus protocols, training and peer review. The incidence of minor inconsistencies of technique highlights the potential for improved QA systems and the need for sufficient resource for this to be addressed within future trials. As indicated in questionnaire responses, the QA exercise as a whole has contributed to greater consistency of oesophageal radiotherapy in the UK via the adoption into standard practice of elements of the protocol.
trial registrationThe SCOPE1 trial is an International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial, ISRCTN47718479 .
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