ESTRO 2026 Congress Report RTT Track

Attending an ESTRO conference is always exciting. There’s the anticipation of this year’s programme, the joy of reuniting with old friends and colleagues from around the world and the prospect of making some new ones along the way, the stimulating debates, and of course the promise of new technologies in the Exhibition Hall, to name but a few.

Under the banner of this year’s theme, Innovating Radiation Oncology, Together, I set out to experience all of that in the lovely city of Stockholm.

I attended one of the numerous pre-meeting courses on offer, Transforming RT Practice: RTT-led Innovation for Person-Centred Care. Some of the interesting topics included mentorship and fellowship for RTTs, a study about the permanence of our alignment tattoos across the board from patients to industry, and, for me, the new concept of upright radiotherapy (see right).

There were two debates I was eager to attend, one about breast cancer being treatable in five days by 2035, and the second about APARA: As Precise As Reasonably Achievable. I had thought my mind was made up beforehand, but both sides of the debate made some compelling arguments, which made me reevaluate my stance on the two topics.

The RTT meet and greet was a great way to connect with fellow RTTs from around the world and share some of our challenges. Spoiler: bladder filling came in at a solid first to absolutely no one’s surprise. Solutions included a neutral bladder, with a focus on overall patient hydration.

ESTRO School turned 20 this year, a major milestone in spreading and sharing knowledge across borders, which was duly celebrated by the faculty at the ABBA museum.

Of course, ESTRO wouldn’t be ESTRO without a little sightseeing and a lot of socialising. The Swedes have perfected the art of “fika”, which is a break, preferably sweet, as depicted below with a “kardamommesnurre” and a “kanelsnurre”. Perfect after having stumbled upon an impromptu street concert with a visiting orchestra.

  

Then there is the ESTRO party, which this year included several bands made up of participants. Who knows, maybe one day a radiation (or is that radiating?) rockstar will emerge from our community. You heard it here first.

If you missed out on a presentation or debate at the conference, all sessions can be watched online on the ESTRO 2026 digital platform.

I have no conflict of interest.

All pictures by Sarah Fortin Jørgensen and Mia Tran.

Sarah Fortin Jørgensen

RTT, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

sarah.fortin.joergensen@regionh.dk