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Background: The quality of treatment planning for stage III non-small cell lung cancer varies within and between facilities due to the different professions involved in planning. Dose estimation parameters were calculated using a feasibility dose-volume histogram (FDVH) implemented in the treatment planning quality assurance software PlanIQ. This study aimed to evaluate differences in treatment planning between occupations using manual FDVH-referenced treatment planning to identify their characteristics. Materials and methods: The study included ten patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer, and volumetric-modulated arc therapy was used as the treatment planning technique. Fifteen planners, comprising five radiation oncologists, five medical physicists, and five radiological technologists, developed treatment strategies after referring to the FDVH. Results: Medical physicists had a higher mean dose at D98% of the planning target volume (PTV) and a lower mean dose at D2% of the PTV than those in other occupations. Medical physicists had the lowest irradiation lung volumes (V5 Gy and V13 Gy) compared to other professions, and radiation oncologists had the lowest V20 Gy and mean lung dose. Radiological technologists had the highest irradiation volumes for dose constraints at all indexes on the normal lung volume. Conclusions: The quality of the treatment plans developed in this study differed between occupations due to their background expertise, even when an FDVH was used as a reference. Therefore, discussing and sharing knowledge and treatment planning techniques among professionals is essential to determine the optimal treatment plan for each facility and patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: The more complex the treatment plan, the higher the possibility of errors in dose verification. Recently, a treatment planning quality assurance (QA) software (PlanIQ) with a function to objectively evaluate the quality of volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans by scoring and calculating the ideal dose-volume histogram has been marketed. This study aimed to assess the association between the scores of ideal treatment plans identified using PlanIQ and the results of dose verification and to investigate whether the results of dose verification can be predicted based on the complexity of treatment plans. Materials and methods: Dose verification was performed using an ionization chamber dosimeter, a radiochromic film, and a three-dimensional dose verification system, Delta4 PT. Correlations between the ideal treatment plan scores obtained by PlanIQ and the results of the absolute dose verification and dose distribution verification were obtained, and it was examined whether dose verifications could be predicted from the complexity of the treatment plans. Results: Even when the score from the ideal treatment plan was high, the results of absolute dose verification and dose distribution verification were sometimes poor. However, even when the score from the ideal treatment plan was low, the absolute volume verification and dose distribution verification sometimes yielded good results. Conclusions: Treatment plan complexity can be determined in advance from the ideal treatment plan score calculated by PlanIQ. However, it is difficult to predict the results of dose verification using an ideal treatment plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]