ABPS Radiation Oncology study plan

Map the major disease sites in Domain 1 and rank them by exam weight and personal weakness

Reconstruct standard-of-care multidisciplinary algorithms for the top three sites from memory, then verify against a current guideline outline

Write one-page decision trees for staging, radiation indication, dose/fractionation, and sequencing with surgery or systemic therapy

Draft a list of ten high-yield trial concepts (without copying published items) to test recall of evidence behind practice

Extend the decision-tree set to cover all remaining Domain 1 disease sites

Practice 40 original case-based items on disease-site management and log errors by failure mode

Explain aloud the rationale for target volumes and dose constraints in at least five representative scenarios

Identify the three weakest sites and schedule a spaced review for each

Finish remaining Domain 1 site coverage and consolidate into a single master outline

Derive the linear-quadratic model and compute BED/EQD2 for at least ten fractionation schemes

Compare alpha/beta values across tumor and normal tissues and predict clinical implications

Summarize the classic 4 Rs and 5 Rs of radiobiology with one clinical example each

Explain DNA damage and repair pathways, cell-cycle radiosensitivity, and their clinical consequences

Describe oxygen effect, reoxygenation, and the rationale for altered fractionation and dose rate

Compute photon attenuation, percent depth dose, and tissue-air and tissue-phantom ratios from first principles

Contrast photon, electron, and proton dose deposition and justify modality selection for a given target

Build familiarity with treatment planning system concepts: forward vs inverse planning, optimization objectives, and dose-volume metrics

Explain IMRT, VMAT, SBRT, and IGRT in terms of planning constraints, delivery mechanics, and clinical trade-offs

Outline a QA program including machine QA, patient-specific QA, and chart rounds, and state the purpose of each check

Review common plan-evaluation pitfalls such as hot spots, coverage, and dose to serial organs

Practice 30 original items on planning, delivery, and QA and correct all errors with cited reasoning

Compare brachytherapy sources and dose-rate categories and match them to representative clinical applications

Describe radionuclide therapy principles including dosimetry concepts, indications, and radiation safety precautions

Explain the roles of the medical physicist and radiation safety officer in brachytherapy and radionuclide procedures

Build a toxicity-management table for the most common acute and late effects by site, including prevention and grading

Explain how systemic agents interact with radiation timing, and describe supportive-care approaches for mucositis, nausea, and cytopenias

List oncologic emergencies with their recognition criteria and urgent management steps, including cord compression, SVC syndrome, and hypercalcemia

Practice 25 original items on supportive care and emergencies and correct all misses

Summarize patient safety and error-prevention principles including incident learning, time-outs, and handoffs

Explain informed consent, truth-telling, conflict-of-interest, and practice-management concepts relevant to radiation oncology

Run a timed full-length mixed-domain practice set and analyze results by domain

Create a one-page high-yield review sheet of personal weak points for final consolidation