ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We constructed a remote radiotherapy planning system, and we examined the usefulness of and faults in our system in this study. METHODS: Two identical radiotherapy planning systems, one installed at our institution and the other installed at an affiliated hospital, were used for radiotherapy planning. The two systems were connected by a wide area network (WAN), using a leased line. Beam data for the linear accelerator at the affiliated hospital were installed in the two systems. During the period from December 2001 to December 2002, 43 remote radiotherapy plans were made using this system. RESULTS: Data were transmitted using a file transfer protocol (FTP) software program. The 43 radiotherapy plans examined in this study consisted of 13 ordinary radiotherapy plans, 28 radiotherapy plans sent to provide assistance for medical residents, and 2 radiotherapy plans for emergency cases. There were ten minor planning changes made in radiotherapy plans sent to provide assistance for medical residents. CONCLUSION: Our remote radiotherapy planning system based on WAN using a leased line is useful for remote radiotherapy, with advantages for both radiation oncologists and medical residents.
