Novel Mathematical Programming Models for Radiotherapy Appointments Scheduling

Novel Mathematical Programming Models for Radiotherapy Appointments Scheduling | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Novel Mathematical Programming Models for Radiotherapy Appointments Scheduling Mohammad-Matin Kord-Sichani, Saeedeh Ketabi, Mahsa Kianinia This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8487431/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A large number of cancer patients at present and the prediction of a significant increase in the number of cancer cases in the next two decades, have raised the importance of proper timing for optimal use of medical resources to cure. The radiotherapy (RT) treatment, as the most used cancer therapy, should be scheduled in several radiation sessions, with specific intervals and duration planned by the oncologists, distinguishing it from other patient scheduling issues. Our main objective is to minimize the waiting time for access to radiation care for cancer treatment. In this study, we propose a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model to formulate the problem of scheduling and sequencing RT sessions considering current restrictions in radiotherapy centers such as treatment deadlines, patient priorities, linac capacity, and patient treatment plans. A novel feature of the proposed model is the ability to adapt any sequence of appointments prescribed for different medical conditions and the rules of medical centers. This model can simplify implementation and improve real-time scheduling, especially for cases with long queues. The results show that the model can reduce patients’ waiting time significantly according to their priorities. Radiotherapy Planning Patient Scheduling Mixed Integer Linear Programming Linear accelerator Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Appendices.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 20 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 11 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 05 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 05 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 31 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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