A method for formulating patient treatment prescription instructions for radiation therapy, which prescribed treatment instructions are configured for use to determine corresponding radiation treatment plan optimization objectives for creation of an optimized radiation treatment plan, the method comprising: providing a user interface; presenting on the user interface a plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals having an initial-state relative priority amongst themselves; determining a first fluence-based radiation dose distribution for a patient as a function of the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the initial-state relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and presenting information regarding the first fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient; automatically saving, as a corresponding first state, information regarding the relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the corresponding first fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient; in response to changing (401, 402), via the user interface, the relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals, dynamically determining a second fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient as a function of the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the changed relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and presenting information regarding the second fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient; automatically saving, as a corresponding second state, information regarding the changed relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the corresponding second fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the particular patient; displaying, on the user interface, visual information regarding changes to fluence-based dose distribution information that occur in response to changes to relative prioritization amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals to thereby illustrate dosing tradeoffs that correspond to prioritization amongst the radiation-treatment clinical goals; switching back and forth between a display of information corresponding to the first state and the second state on the user interface. providing a user interface; presenting on the user interface a plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals having an initial-state relative priority amongst themselves; determining a first fluence-based radiation dose distribution for a patient as a function of the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the initial-state relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and presenting information regarding the first fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient; automatically saving, as a corresponding first state, information regarding the relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the corresponding first fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient; in response to changing (401, 402), via the user interface, the relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals, dynamically determining a second fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient as a function of the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the changed relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and presenting information regarding the second fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the patient; automatically saving, as a corresponding second state, information regarding the changed relative priority amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals and the corresponding second fluence-based radiation dose distribution for the particular patient; displaying, on the user interface, visual information regarding changes to fluence-based dose distribution information that occur in response to changes to relative prioritization amongst the plurality of radiation-treatment clinical goals to thereby illustrate dosing tradeoffs that correspond to prioritization amongst the radiation-treatment clinical goals; switching back and forth between a display of information corresponding to the first state and the second state on the user interface.