Institution-specific pre-treatment quality assurance control and specification limits: a tool to implement a new formalism and criteria optimization using statistical process control and heuristic methods

Abstract Objective. Establishing control and specification limits for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) pre-treatment quality assurance (PTQA) is essential for streamlining PTQA workflows and optimizing plan complexity. This study aimed to develop and implement new methods and tools across treatment sites of varying complexity using multiple global and local gamma index criteria. Approach. 350 VMAT plans comprising brain, prostate, pelvis and head and neck treatments were retrospectively compiled. For each site, control limits were obtained using statistical process control (SPC) along with heuristic methods (scaled weighted variance (SWV), weighted standard deviation (WSD), skewness correction (SC)). Specification limits were derived employing a new formalism aligned with the heuristic approaches. Calculations were performed under various global and local gamma index criteria using custom-built software (freely available at https://github.com/AEvgeneia/SPC_GUI_Scientific_Tool.git ). Main results. WSD and SC control and specification limits were comparable, while SWV deviated with increasing complexity and stricter gamma index criteria. Conventional criteria (e.g. global 3%/2 mm) lacked sensitivity to detect subtle errors. Global 2%/1 mm and 1%/2 mm, and local criteria stricter than 3%/1 mm, met sensitivity requirements for low-complexity plans while maintaining clear separation between control and specification limits to identify plans with suboptimal delivery accuracy. High-complexity plans showed that global criteria stricter than 3%/1 mm and all evaluated local criteria are optimal, provided specification limits for the most stringent criteria remain clinically acceptable. Significance. A nuanced framework is provided for determining control and specification limits for gamma index passing rates, as well as corresponding thresholds for the mean gamma index, allowing for site-specific detection of suboptimal treatment plans. The open-source software tool developed can operationalize the proposed methodology facilitating the clinical adoption of advanced statistical methods. Site-specific thresholds could serve as inputs for machine learning and deep learning algorithms aimed at automating error detection and PTQA classification for plan complexity management.