Dr. Giuseppe Sasso is a Radiation Oncologist with extensive experience in the field, who has been using MVision AI for more than a year already, as an individual customer.
He graduated from University of Naples where he also finished residency training 25 years ago. Since then, he has treated patients in multiple clinics from Italy, France, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Australia and New Zealand. Except for his clinical activity, he was also involved in healthcare administration, as Chairman of Radiation Oncology Department of Tawam Hospital and Director of the Radiation Oncology Department in New Zealand. He is active as a clinical investigator, is the past President of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group, one of the largest collaborative clinical trials groups, and has an Associate Clinical Professor position at James Cook University, Australia. Currently he is collaborating with three clinics from New Zealand and treats complex cases using linear accelerators and Cyberknife.
He kindly shared some insights on the MVision AI’s Contour+ integration on his workflow and his perspective on the quality and clinical value.
Dr. Sasso, how would you describe your experience with MVision AI?
Honestly, at first I was a bit reluctant. My previous experience with other auto-contouring solutions was not satisfactory. I tried three other solutions before MVision AI. Some of them were reasonably good for organs at risk, but not for lymph nodes regions. For others, it took me more to adjust the contours than if I would have done them from scratch, so I gave up. When I was asked to test it, I was not really into it. I am a perfectionist and I treat patients with highly conformal techniques, so I really need accurate contours. In my opinion, MVision AI is one year ahead of what I have seen until now. In terms of quality, I would rate it 10 out of 10.
What types of cancers are you focused on in your clinical practice?
My areas of interest are head and neck, genito-urinary and breast cancers. The majority of my practice involves SABR to treat tumors of the prostate and kidney, and metastases in the lung, liver, adrenal glands, pancreas, spine and brain.
How many patients have you treated until now using the MVision AI solution?
Overall, I used the contour predictions for about 360 patients in the last year.
What are the main advantages of MVision AI’s Contour+, in your view?
Consistency of contours, the high number of structures and customisation. The contours are good on all scans, not only on some of them. It is very reliable. Then, I like its speed and ease of use. It can take longer to open the treatment planning system than doing breast volumes. I can get all volumes done in 15-20 minutes, even in complex cases. Since I am collaborating with three clinics that have different treatment planning systems, I had to find a solution to integrate all, and also access the clinical file of the patient and imaging results. The fact that the MVision AI’s solution is comprehensive and customizable increases my productivity.
I also appreciate that it’s guideline-based. It lowers the risk of making mistakes for OARs and lymph nodes. Moreover, it indirectly helps me with the target volumes. If I have quality OAR predictions, I find it easier to delineate the GTV. Last but not least, I am satisfied with the Cyber security level offered by MVision AI.
What are the models you are most satisfied with?
They are all good, but if I have to make a top, I would mention the SABR chest first. Almost perfect. I almost never see an error. Then, the breast, head and neck OARs and male pelvis OAR. Of course, the better the image quality is, the better predictions are created.
What would you improve?
Hard to say… Maybe the head and neck lymph nodes in the postoperative setting, but I agree this is a challenging task also for the clinicians. I would also like to combine structure from different models, for example the bladder from the CT and the prostate from the MRI. I would also like to have the urethra in the male pelvis model.
Any specific population groups you are not using MVision AI for?
I’m using it for all my cases.
Have you implemented any ongoing QA protocols?
Nothing special, except that I verify every region of interest.
Would you recommend MVision AI Contour+ to your peers?
Absolutely. Already doing this. It is an excellent solution that allows me to offer quality treatments to more patients. Since the Radiation Oncology Department did not purchase this solution, I decided to pay for it myself and I think it is a good investment.
The interview was specifically conducted for MVision AI by Monica-Emilia Chirilă, Radiation Oncologist.
