{"entity":{"id":"treatment-planning-systems","kind":"technology","name":"Radiotherapy treatment planning and QA software","aka":[],"tldr":"The software that calculates exactly how radiation beams should be shaped and checks the machine delivered it.","summary":"Treatment planning systems (Varian Eclipse, Elekta Monaco, RaySearch RayStation, Philips Pinnacle, Brainlab Elements) compute dose from CT/MR images, optimise beam arrangements for IMRT/VMAT/protons, and export plans; independent QA vendors (Sun Nuclear, IBA Dosimetry, PTW, RadCalc) verify delivered dose. RayStation's multi-vendor support and machine-learning planning are notable; cloud and automated planning are the direction.","status":"standard-of-care","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"AAPM Task Group 53: quality assurance for clinical radiotherapy treatment planning (Medical Physics 1998)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1118/1.598373"}],"tags":["supporting"],"related":["in-vivo-dosimetry","knowledge-based-planning"],"cancers":[],"sections":["radiation","ai-computation"],"technologies":["imrt-igrt","sbrt","proton-therapy","mr-linac","auto-contouring-ai"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["varian","elekta","raysearch","sun-nuclear","brainlab"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":["paper-fraass-med-phys"],"journals":[],"dependsOn":["ct"],"notes":[],"principle":"Monte Carlo or convolution dose engines plus inverse optimisation of fluence subject to organ-at-risk constraints; deliverable plans checked by phantom measurement or log-file analysis.","strengths":["Mature, regulated software","Automation reduces planning time from days to hours"],"limitations":["Vendor lock-in","Plan quality depends on planner and protocol","QA burden grows with adaptive RT"]},"route":"/technologies/treatment-planning-systems/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"adaptive-radiotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Adaptive radiotherapy (online replanning)","route":"/technologies/adaptive-radiotherapy/"},{"id":"auto-contouring-ai","kind":"technology","name":"AI auto-contouring and adaptive planning","route":"/technologies/auto-contouring-ai/"},{"id":"ct","kind":"technology","name":"CT (computed tomography)","route":"/technologies/ct/"},{"id":"imrt-igrt","kind":"technology","name":"IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)","route":"/technologies/imrt-igrt/"},{"id":"in-vivo-dosimetry","kind":"technology","name":"In vivo dosimetry and patient-specific quality assurance","route":"/technologies/in-vivo-dosimetry/"},{"id":"knowledge-based-planning","kind":"technology","name":"Knowledge-based and automated treatment planning","route":"/technologies/knowledge-based-planning/"},{"id":"radiotherapy-equipment-manufacturing","kind":"technology","name":"Linac, proton system and brachytherapy machine manufacturing","route":"/technologies/radiotherapy-equipment-manufacturing/"},{"id":"mr-linac","kind":"technology","name":"MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy","route":"/technologies/mr-linac/"},{"id":"oncology-information-systems","kind":"technology","name":"Oncology information and record-and-verify systems (ARIA, MOSAIQ)","route":"/technologies/oncology-information-systems/"},{"id":"proton-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Proton therapy","route":"/technologies/proton-therapy/"},{"id":"radiotherapy-qa-phantoms-dosimeters","kind":"technology","name":"Radiotherapy QA phantoms and dosimeters (Sun Nuclear, IBA Dosimetry, PTW)","route":"/technologies/radiotherapy-qa-phantoms-dosimeters/"},{"id":"brachytherapy-afterloaders","kind":"technology","name":"Remote afterloaders for HDR brachytherapy","route":"/technologies/brachytherapy-afterloaders/"},{"id":"sbrt","kind":"technology","name":"SBRT / SABR (stereotactic radiotherapy)","route":"/technologies/sbrt/"},{"id":"tumour-control-probability-models","kind":"technology","name":"Tumour control and normal tissue complication probability (TCP and NTCP)","route":"/technologies/tumour-control-probability-models/"},{"id":"vmat","kind":"technology","name":"Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT)","route":"/technologies/vmat/"}],"section":[{"id":"ai-computation","kind":"section","name":"AI & Computation","route":"/fronts/ai-computation/"},{"id":"radiation","kind":"section","name":"Radiation Therapy","route":"/fronts/radiation/"}],"company":[{"id":"brainlab","kind":"company","name":"Brainlab","route":"/companies/brainlab/"},{"id":"elekta","kind":"company","name":"Elekta","route":"/companies/elekta/"},{"id":"ptw-freiburg","kind":"company","name":"PTW Freiburg","route":"/companies/ptw-freiburg/"},{"id":"raysearch","kind":"company","name":"RaySearch Laboratories","route":"/companies/raysearch/"},{"id":"sun-nuclear","kind":"company","name":"Sun Nuclear (Mirion)","route":"/companies/sun-nuclear/"},{"id":"varian","kind":"company","name":"Varian (Siemens Healthineers)","route":"/companies/varian/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-fraass-med-phys","kind":"paper","name":"American Association of Physicists in Medicine Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group 53: quality assurance for clinical radiotherapy treatment planning","route":"/key-papers/paper-fraass-med-phys/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"radiation-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Radiotherapy roadmap: X-rays → shaped beams → fewer fractions, particles and FLASH","route":"/roadmaps/radiation-roadmap/"}],"term":[{"id":"organs-at-risk","kind":"term","name":"Organs at risk and dose constraints","route":"/terms/organs-at-risk/"}]}}