We design and perform prospective studies or include the quality assurance (QA) as a part of larger clinical trials to evaluate QA programs. An example of this research was a study conducted to improve contour consistency before trial activation. Another example was the continuous adaption of image-guided radiation therapy credentialing procedure from QA data collected and analyzed.
Secondary Analysis of Data Collected Through Clinical Trials
Large amount of data are collected through clinical trial processes, including multimodality imaging/treatment planning/verification digital data, associated pre- and post-treatment (quantitative) imaging data, and associated metadata, including outcomes. These data represent a potentially valuable resource for the research into quality assessment and other scientific investigations. It is recognized that the data will be the property of the primary group performing the study and that they must be engaged with respect to additional analyses.