We are pleased to share that the joint initiative between The Lancet Oncology, Radiotherapy & Oncology, and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) for ESTRO 2025 was a resounding success.

ESTRO 2025 witnessed the largest number of clinical abstracts ever submitted to its annual Congress, increasing from 2889 in 2024 to 3485 in 2025. Overall, we learned from more than twenty randomised clinical trials in all fields of radiation oncology, several of them defining new standards of care. The dedicated clinical trials session, held during this year’s Congress in Vienna, Austria, showcased high-impact and practice-changing research.

All top-ranked abstracts submitted to ESTRO 2025 were reviewed independently by the Editors-in-Chief of The Lancet Oncology and Radiotherapy & Oncology. This collaborative effort led to two publications in The Lancet Oncology and three in Radiotherapy & Oncology, published during the Congress in tandem with the authors’ presentations highlighting the scientific excellence and clinical relevance of the trials presented. Additional articles related to ESTRO 2025 presentations are expected soon, stay tuned!

We extend our congratulations and thanks to all authors, reviewers, and contributors who made this initiative such a success!

Building on this momentum, we are delighted to confirm that this initiative will return for ESTRO 2026, to be held in Stockholm, Sweden. Once again, we will host a dedicated clinical trials session to spotlight practice-changing research, with the goal of coordinated publication in the two journals.

Further details about the upcoming joint call for papers by The Lancet Oncology and Radiotherapy & Oncology and the submission process can be found on the ESTRO 2026 website. We look forward to continuing this important collaboration and to receiving your most impactful trial submissions for ESTRO 2026.

List of publications:

The Lancet Oncology

• Standard versus reduced-dose chemoradiotherapy in anal cancer (PLATO-ACT4): short-term results of a phase 2 randomised controlled trial - The Lancet Oncology
• Salvage metastasis-directed therapy versus elective nodal radiotherapy for oligorecurrent nodal prostate cancer metastases (PEACE V–STORM): a phase 2, open-label, randomised controlled trial - The Lancet Oncology

Radiotherapy & Oncology

• Esophagus-sparing radiotherapy for complicated spinal metastases (ESO-SPARE). A randomized phase III clinical trial
• Local recurrence with and without a tumour-bed boost: A post-hoc analysis of the DBCG IMN2 study
• Patient- and clinician-assessed five-year normal tissue effects following one-week versus three-week axillary radiotherapy for breast cancer: Results from the phase III FAST-Forward trial randomised nodal sub-study

Pierre Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief of The Green Journal
David Collingridge, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Oncology
Uulke van der Heide, Chair ESTRO Scientific Council
Matthias Guckenberger, ESTRO President