ArticleBMC medical education2026
Enhancing the precision and uniformity of clinical target volume delineation for cervical cancer through a structured educational program.
Article in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
purposeTo evaluate the short-term impact of a structured educational program on the accuracy and consistency of clinical target volume (CTV) delineation for external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in cervical cancer among Chinese radiation oncologists.
methodA total of 45 radiation oncologists participated in a multi-component training course covering guideline-based principles of cervical cancer EBRT, case-based contouring exercises, expert-led reviews, and live demonstrations. Participants performed pre- and post-training delineations on two representative cases (definitive and postoperative radiotherapy) and completed corresponding questionnaires. Delineation quality was assessed using spatial overlap, boundary accuracy, and interobserver variability metrics, with two automated systems included for performance ranking. Correlations between subjective self-assessments and objective metrics were analyzed.
resultsSignificant post-training improvements were observed in both subjective confidence and objective contouring performance. The primary outcomes, Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and Average Surface Distance (ASD), improved significantly in both clinical cases (p < 0.05), together with several secondary geometric metrics. Interobserver variability decreased across multiple indices. Exploratory analyses suggested alignment between subjective self-assessment and objective contouring quality after training, while more modest improvements were observed in anatomically complex subregions.
conclusionsThis study demonstrates that a structured educational intervention significantly enhances the accuracy, consistency, and self-perceived competency of cervical cancer target delineation among radiation oncologists. These findings support the integration of such programs into routine professional development to standardize radiotherapy planning and improve clinical outcomes.
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