[A proposal for dosage and volume specification and documentation in HDR brachytherapy].

BACKGROUND

Modern computer-aided brachytherapy techniques and the various clinical and radiobiological methods require a review and standardization of dose specification and documentation in brachytherapy.

METHOD

The methods and the extent of the dose specification and documentation have been analysed on the base of known international and national procedure. A new modified report has been prepared for the standardized dose specification for HDR-brachytherapy techniques.

RESULT

Brachytherapy treatments are supposed to be documented in 3 different levels (I to III), the extent of which depending on the treated volume, the therapeutic aim and the equipment available.

CONCLUSION

The extent of documentation and dose specification proposed in this paper requires the close cooperation of radio-oncologists and medical physicists. It seems to be advantageous to use prepared sheets or computer prints in order to minimize the time and efforts for a sufficient documentation.