Number of Phases of Radiation Treatment to this Volume

Field length: 2

Description
Identifies the total number of phases administered to the patient during the first course of treatment. A “phase” consists of one or more consecutive treatments delivered to the same anatomic volume with no change in the treatment technique. Although the majority of courses of radiation therapy are completed in one or two phases (historically, the “regional” and “boost” treatments) there are occasions in which three or more phases are used, most typically with head and neck malignancies. This data item is required for CoC-accredited facilities as of cases diagnosed 01/01/2018 and later.

Rationale
The number of phases of radiation treatment is used to evaluate patterns of radiation therapy and the treatment schedule.