What are the current and future requirements for magnetic resonance imaging interpretation skills in radiotherapy? A critical review

Midon, Aston M, Bridge, Pete ORCID: 0000-0001-7704-9812 and Warren, Mark ORCID: 0000-0003-0378-929X (2017) What are the current and future requirements for magnetic resonance imaging interpretation skills in radiotherapy? A critical review JOURNAL OF RADIOTHERAPY IN PRACTICE, 16 (1). pp. 79-84. ISSN 1460-3969, 1467-1131

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Abstract

Purpose: Increasing usage of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiotherapy (RT) and the advent of MRI-based image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) suggests a need for additional training within the RT profession. This critical review aimed to identify potential gaps in knowledge by evaluating the current skill base in MRI among therapeutic radiographers as evidenced by published research. Methods: Papers related to MRI usage were retrieved. Topic areas included outlining, planning and IGRT; diagnosis, follow-up and staging-related papers were excluded. After selection and further text analysis, papers were grouped by tumour site and year of publication. Results: The literature search and filtering resulted in a total of 123 papers, of which 66 were related to 'outlining', 37 to 'planning' and 20 to 'IGRT'. The main sites of existing MRI expertise in RT were brain, central nervous system, prostate, and head and neck tumours. Expertise was clearly related to regions where MRI offered improved soft-tissue contrast. MRI studies within RT have been published from 2007 onwards at a steadily increasing rate. Conclusion: Current use of MRI in RT is mainly restricted to sites where MRI offers a considerable imaging advantage over computed tomography. Given the changing use of MRI for image guidance, emerging therapeutic radiographers will require training in MRI interpretation across a wider range of anatomical regions.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	license: © Cambridge University Press 2016
Uncontrolled Keywords:	image-guided radiotherapy, magnetic resonance imaging, planning, radiotherapy, training
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	14 Mar 2017 09:15
Last Modified:	22 May 2026 22:37
DOI:	10.1017/S1460396916000418
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3006369
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