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Definition

The largest prescribed dose of radiation administered during the initial course of treatment for cancer, measured in Gray (Gy).

Components

Data Element (this item)

Representation

This representation is based on the value domain for this data element, more information is available at " Total Gray N[NN.NN] ".
Data Type Number
Format N[NN.NN]
Maximum character length 5
Values
Value Meaning Start Date End Date
Supplementary Values 999.97 Not applicable-radiotherapy was not administered
999.98 Unknown whether radiotherapy was administered
999.99 Radiotherapy was administered but the dose is not stated/inadequately described

Comments

Guide for use:

The gray (Gy) is the SI (International System of Units) unit of absorbed radiation dose of ionizing radiation (for example, X-rays), and is defined as the absorption of one joule of ionizing radiation by one kilogram of matter (usually human tissue).

The radiation dose administered records the largest prescribed dose to the target. This means that for patients that have a boost treatment, the largest prescribed dose is the addition of the boost to the other phases of treatment.

Record the largest prescribed dose to the target site for all courses of radiotherapy delivered to the patient during the initial course of treatment. The initial course of treatment is treatment administered to the patient from diagnosis and before disease progression or recurrence.

The patient may receive more than one course of radiotherapy during the initial course of treatment. For example, radiotherapy may be administered to the primary site and the site of a distant metastasis. Record the radiation dose received for each course of treatment.

The radiation dose administered is recorded regardless of whether the course of treatment is completed as intended, and regardless of the intent or timing of treatment.

The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) develops internationally acceptable recommendations regarding quantities and units of radiation and radioactivity, procedures suitable for the measurement and application of these quantities in clinical radiology and radiobiology, and physical data needed in the application of these procedures to support uniformity in reporting.

The ICRU recommends recording doses at the axis point where applicable (opposed fields, four field box, wedged pairs and so on). The ICRU50 reference dose should be recorded for photon therapy if available, otherwise a description of the received dose at the centre of the planning target volume. The ICRU58 should be recorded for brachytherapy. For maximum consistency in this field, the ICRU recommendations should be followed whenever possible.

Do not include treatment with unsealed radioisotopes.

Origin:
Commission on Cancer, American College of Surgeons

Comments:
The collection of specific treatment information is useful to evaluate patterns of care, the effectiveness of different treatment modalities, and treatment by patient outcome. Patient outcomes are strongly related to the radiotherapy dose delivered.

References

American College of Surgeons 1998. Standards of the Commission on Cancer: Registry Operations and Data Standards (ROADS), Volume II. Commission on Cancer
This content Based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare material. Attribution provided as required under the AIHW CC-BY licence.

Related content

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Input in Derivations 0
Output in Derivations 0
Inclusion in Data Set Specifications 2
Inclusion in Data Distributions 0
As a numerator in an Indicator 0
As a denominator in an Indicator 0
As a disaggregation in an Indicator 0