Presenter(s)
E. C. Ford1, A. Ford2, and C. Dempsey3; 1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, 2SPS, Seattle, WA, 3Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Purpose/Objective(s): There is an acute need for experts trained in brachytherapy particularly in under-resourced regions of the world where gynecological cancers are disproportionately present. However, there are significant barriers to effective training, and especially challenging are the concepts of physical dosimetry. To address this need we have designed and developed an open-access, web-based simulation platform to support advanced learning in brachytherapy.
Materials/Methods: The Brachytherapy Educational Resource for Teaching (or BERT) was developed with four key design goals: (1) accurate dose calculations with a selection of sources and applicators in common use, (2) platform portability, (3) long-term sustainability, and (4) high performance in low-compute environments. A JavaScript web app was developed with no external dependencies to ensure cross-platform compatibility. Novel computer science implementations were employed to enhance performance and sustainability. Development and testing were completed over an eight-month period.
Results: BERT consists of four learning module interfaces which present increasingly complex conceptual scenarios to the learner: (1) a single seed, (2) a linear array of seeds, (3) a 2D planar array of seeds, and (4) gynecological brachytherapy applicators with representational anatomy. Users can compare currently available source models and can control parameters such as air kerma strength, dwell time and seed spacing. Dose calculations were accurate within 3% and users evaluating the software found it usable and intuitive. The source code was made openly-available on GitHub.
Conclusion: The web app developed here provides a structured, interactive environment to support mastery of complex concepts in brachytherapy dosimetry. To our knowledge, this is the first open-access simulation software of its kind and has the potential to expand brachytherapy access globally.