Radiation therapy beam with EPID software interface overlay.

Is Your Radiation Therapy as Precise as You Think? Unveiling the Power of EPID Software

Q: What exactly is EPID software and how does it work?

EPID software, like Dosimetry Check (DC), works by acquiring transit images during Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) treatments. It uses these images to reconstruct 3D dose distributions, allowing for a comprehensive comparison with the planned dose. This process enables the detection of discrepancies that could be caused by delivery inaccuracies, setup errors, or anatomical changes, thus ensuring that the radiation dose is delivered as precisely as planned. The software's ability to detect these errors is critical for maximizing treatment efficacy and minimizing harm to healthy tissue. The real-time monitoring offered by EPID software provides a crucial safety net during VMAT, a complex radiation therapy technique.

Q: Why is precision in Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) so important?

VMAT is a sophisticated radiation therapy technique that delivers targeted radiation to tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Its precision is paramount because inaccuracies can compromise treatment outcomes. The accuracy of VMAT relies heavily on precise execution of the treatment plan. EPID software plays a crucial role in verifying this plan by providing real-time monitoring and 3D dose reconstruction. By catching errors, EPID software helps ensure that the radiation dose is delivered exactly as intended, enhancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment and protecting the patient from unnecessary side effects. Ensuring that VMAT treatments are delivered exactly as planned is a significant challenge, making the use of EPID software essential.

Q: Why is EPID software so important for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)?

EPID software, such as Dosimetry Check (DC), is important because it provides a robust quality assurance (QA) process for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). Traditional QA methods can be time-consuming and may not always catch subtle errors. The software reconstructs 3D dose distributions from transit images, which allows it to detect errors related to VMAT delivery, patient setup, and anatomical variations. This error detection capability is crucial for ensuring the accuracy of radiation therapy, improving treatment outcomes, and minimizing the risk of complications. The study highlights that EPID software, like DC, helps to verify the treatment plan and ensure the accurate delivery of radiation.

Q: What are the broader implications of using EPID software like Dosimetry Check (DC) in cancer treatment?

Dosimetry Check (DC) software has implications for enhancing the precision and safety of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). It accurately reproduces VMAT 3D dose distributions and is sensitive to errors caused by delivery inaccuracy and anatomical variations. DC's performance is comparable to established QA tools like PTW OCTAVIUS®4D (OCT). This capability allows for early detection and correction of errors, improving treatment outcomes and reducing the potential for side effects. By integrating EPID software into the VMAT process, clinicians gain a powerful tool for ensuring treatment precision and patient safety, contributing to a more effective approach to cancer treatment. The use of EPID software signifies a shift towards more personalized and precise cancer treatment.

Q: How does the study validate the use of EPID software in radiation therapy?

The study compared Dosimetry Check (DC) software with established QA tools like PTW OCTAVIUS®4D (OCT) in assessing the accuracy of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) treatments. The comparison was done to assess DC's accuracy in detecting errors related to VMAT delivery, patient setup, and anatomical variations. The goal was to validate that DC could effectively identify deviations from the planned dose. The results showed that DC performed comparably to OCTAVIUS®4D in homogeneous phantoms. These findings support the use of EPID software in VMAT QA, demonstrating its potential to improve the accuracy and safety of radiation therapy. These comparisons help establish the reliability and effectiveness of new technologies like DC in the context of existing QA standards.

Avery Sinclair in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research highlights how EPID software ensures accuracy in VMAT, pushing the boundaries of personalized cancer treatment."

Modern radiation therapy techniques, especially Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), demand the highest levels of precision. VMAT delivers targeted radiation to tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Ensuring that these complex treatments are delivered exactly as planned is a significant challenge. That's where advanced quality assurance (QA) steps in.

Traditional methods of verifying VMAT treatment plans can be time-consuming and may not always catch subtle errors that could impact the accuracy of the radiation dose. These errors can stem from inaccuracies in the treatment plan, mistakes during setup, or even changes in the patient's anatomy.

A promising solution lies in the use of Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) software. This innovative technology utilizes transit images acquired during treatment to reconstruct 3D dose distributions, offering a comprehensive check of the delivered radiation. New research has explored the capabilities of a specific EPID software, Dosimetry Check (DC), in detecting errors and ensuring the accuracy of VMAT treatments.

EPID Software: Your Safety Net in VMAT Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy beam with EPID software interface overlay.

The study investigated the suitability of Dosimetry Check (DC) software for VMAT transit dosimetry. Researchers compared dose distributions reconstructed by DC with those calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS) and verified by PTW OCTAVIUS®4D, a well-established QA tool. The goal was to assess DC's accuracy in detecting errors related to VMAT delivery, patient setup, and anatomical variations.

Here's how EPID software like DC works to safeguard your radiation treatment:

Real-time Monitoring: EPID acquires transit images during treatment, capturing valuable data about the delivered radiation.
3D Dose Reconstruction: The software reconstructs a 3D dose distribution based on these images, allowing for a comprehensive comparison with the planned dose.
Error Detection: By comparing the reconstructed dose with the planned dose, the software can identify discrepancies caused by delivery inaccuracies, setup errors, or anatomical changes.
Sensitivity Analysis: Researchers deliberately introduced errors into VMAT plans to test the software's ability to detect deviations from the intended treatment.
Anatomical Variation Assessment: The study also explored how the software handled variations in patient anatomy, which can impact dose distribution.

The results showed that DC accurately reproduced VMAT 3D dose distributions in a homogeneous phantom and was sensitive to errors caused by delivery inaccuracy and anatomical variations. The study also found that in lung cases, the aqua vivo approach reduced the algorithm dependence of DC results. The assessment of VMAT QA showed agreements with TPS maps comparable to OCTAVIUS® 4D (OCT) in homogeneous phantom (p<0.001).

The Future of Precision in Radiation Therapy

EPID software offers a powerful tool for ensuring the accuracy and safety of VMAT radiation therapy. By providing real-time monitoring and 3D dose reconstruction, this technology helps to detect errors that could compromise treatment outcomes.

While the study highlighted the benefits of DC software, it also acknowledged some limitations, such as sensitivity to setup errors. Ongoing research and development in this field are focused on further improving the accuracy and robustness of EPID-based QA systems.

As radiation therapy continues to evolve, EPID software will play an increasingly important role in delivering personalized and precise cancer treatments, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1007/s13246-018-0693-0, Alternate LINK

Title: Characterization Of Epid Software For Vmat Transit Dosimetry

Subject: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging

Journal: Australasian Physical & Engineering Sciences in Medicine

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Marco Esposito, Andrea Bruschi, Paolo Bastiani, Alessandro Ghirelli, Silvia Pini, Serenella Russo, Giovanna Zatelli

Published: 2018-10-19

Everything You Need To Know

What exactly is EPID software and how does it work?

EPID software, like Dosimetry Check (DC), works by acquiring transit images during Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) treatments. It uses these images to reconstruct 3D dose distributions, allowing for a comprehensive comparison with the planned dose. This process enables the detection of discrepancies that could be caused by delivery inaccuracies, setup errors, or anatomical changes, thus ensuring that the radiation dose is delivered as precisely as planned. The software's ability to detect these errors is critical for maximizing treatment efficacy and minimizing harm to healthy tissue. The real-time monitoring offered by EPID software provides a crucial safety net during VMAT, a complex radiation therapy technique.

Why is precision in Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) so important?

VMAT is a sophisticated radiation therapy technique that delivers targeted radiation to tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Its precision is paramount because inaccuracies can compromise treatment outcomes. The accuracy of VMAT relies heavily on precise execution of the treatment plan. EPID software plays a crucial role in verifying this plan by providing real-time monitoring and 3D dose reconstruction. By catching errors, EPID software helps ensure that the radiation dose is delivered exactly as intended, enhancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment and protecting the patient from unnecessary side effects. Ensuring that VMAT treatments are delivered exactly as planned is a significant challenge, making the use of EPID software essential.

Why is EPID software so important for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)?

EPID software, such as Dosimetry Check (DC), is important because it provides a robust quality assurance (QA) process for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). Traditional QA methods can be time-consuming and may not always catch subtle errors. The software reconstructs 3D dose distributions from transit images, which allows it to detect errors related to VMAT delivery, patient setup, and anatomical variations. This error detection capability is crucial for ensuring the accuracy of radiation therapy, improving treatment outcomes, and minimizing the risk of complications. The study highlights that EPID software, like DC, helps to verify the treatment plan and ensure the accurate delivery of radiation.

What are the broader implications of using EPID software like Dosimetry Check (DC) in cancer treatment?

Dosimetry Check (DC) software has implications for enhancing the precision and safety of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). It accurately reproduces VMAT 3D dose distributions and is sensitive to errors caused by delivery inaccuracy and anatomical variations. DC's performance is comparable to established QA tools like PTW OCTAVIUS®4D (OCT). This capability allows for early detection and correction of errors, improving treatment outcomes and reducing the potential for side effects. By integrating EPID software into the VMAT process, clinicians gain a powerful tool for ensuring treatment precision and patient safety, contributing to a more effective approach to cancer treatment. The use of EPID software signifies a shift towards more personalized and precise cancer treatment.

How does the study validate the use of EPID software in radiation therapy?

The study compared Dosimetry Check (DC) software with established QA tools like PTW OCTAVIUS®4D (OCT) in assessing the accuracy of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) treatments. The comparison was done to assess DC's accuracy in detecting errors related to VMAT delivery, patient setup, and anatomical variations. The goal was to validate that DC could effectively identify deviations from the planned dose. The results showed that DC performed comparably to OCTAVIUS®4D in homogeneous phantoms. These findings support the use of EPID software in VMAT QA, demonstrating its potential to improve the accuracy and safety of radiation therapy. These comparisons help establish the reliability and effectiveness of new technologies like DC in the context of existing QA standards.