This is update #3 in our series of weekly updates leading up to the 2019 World Championship of Treatment Planning. In this update, we reveal the body site, announce the prizes, and detail the exact 24-hour period during which the event will be open for submissions.

Body Site

The body site selected for this year’s event is Head and Neck.

Many of the metrics and objectives integrated into the plan quality scorecard will pull from three different clinical trial protocols as references. Of course, the scoring for this event will be designed to inspire you to go far beyond some familiar minimal requirements. A clinical planning team of head and neck experts is working hard now to build and test a scorecard that is challenging, educational, and clinically relevant.

For some added intrigue to this year’s event, the scorecard details will not be revealed in advance. Rather, you will see them for the first time when you officially start the event. This will really test your ability to interpret objectives in real time to create a personalized treatment plan.

Prizes

As mentioned in update #1, the leadership of Radiological Technologies University (RTU) is also generously sponsoring cash awards for the top three overall scorers. These will be those participants (individuals or teams of two) with the highest composite scores and whose submitted plans also meet the treatment practicality guidelines. (Note: Composite scoring rules and plan practicality guidelines will be detailed soon, in next week’s update.)

The top three RTU-sponsored awards will be as follows:

• First overall: $2000 USD
• Second overall: $1000 USD
• Third overall: $500 USD

Time/Date Details

As mentioned in update #1 and update #2, this live event will take place over a 24-hour period spanning September 9-10 (Mon-Tues), 2019. This is intended to allow participants from all regions and time zones around the world to find a convenient block of time to compete.

Be aware that a large portion of the overall score will be based on efficiency (i.e., time from start and end, which will be digitally tracked per participant), so we suggest you start targeting a block of time on the order of 5 to 6 hours if you want to maximize the efficiency portion of your score. You can take longer, but you will have to consider if what can be gained in terms of additional plan quality points will more than offset what could be lost due to planning time. Intense!

We will explain more in next week’s update, but for now, here is the official 24-hour timespan during which the event will be open for submissions:

Registration

Registration is now closed!