Programme

Overview: In particle therapy, accurately determining where particles stop in the patient is crucial to ensure safer and more precise treatments. Over the past decade, various technological solutions have been proposed, but no industrial system for large-scale in vivo treatment verification is currently available. Prof. Katia Parodi will present an overview of these solutions, while Prof. Christian Richter will discuss existing clinical data, emphasizing the real-world impact and importance of integrating verification into clinical workflows. Prof. Thomas Bortfeld will highlight how verification could enable innovative treatment techniques. Dr. Julien Smeets will conclude by addressing the technical and industrial challenges of integrating these systems into complex and evolving particle therapy platforms, including considerations for proton arc therapy and FLASH.

Overview: Proffered Papers are presented in one of the sessions scheduled in the main session halls. Each author will present orally for 7 minutes, followed by 3 minutes for discussion. Sessions will be recorded and available on-demand.

Overview: Meet & Greet sessions provide journey participants with the opportunity to network and to meet ESTRO focus group representatives who developed these journeys. Registration for Meet & Greet sessions is required via the Journeys tab on the ESTRO 2025 website.

Overview: Online adaptive radiotherapy (OART) presents an opportunity to account for changes in the patient's anatomy and physiology over the course of treatment, potentially allowing us to target disease more accurately. However, OART also requires a re-evaluation of many aspects of the treatment process, in particular for verification and quality assurance of the online adaptive workflow. In this session, three expert physicists present an overview of the online adaptive workflow and the challenges for QA arising from the transition to OART, the potential solutions to these challenges, and the new risks and the necessary changes associated with plan-specific QA.

Overview: Proffered Papers are presented in one of the sessions scheduled in the main session halls. Each author will present orally for 7 minutes, followed by 3 minutes for discussion. Sessions will be recorded and available on-demand.

Overview: Over a decade ago, FLASH radiotherapy emerged in the field of radiation oncology with the promise of widening the therapeutic window. While the number of supporting preclinical studies has grown exponentially, technological and biological challenges have slowed its clinical translation, resulting in only a limited number of early-phase clinical trials currently underway. This panel discussion brings together three multidisciplinary experts with experience in clinical translation. They will explore why this promising technique has not yet been widely adopted in clinical practice and discuss the necessary steps and actions to ensure the safe and successful translation of FLASH radiotherapy into clinical use. The discussion will also highlight the importance of veterinary clinical trials and preclinical biology studies in bridging the gap from bench to bedside, ensuring that FLASH radiotherapy's potential is fully realized in both human and veterinary medicine.

Overview: This session explores innovative approaches to clinical research in radiation oncology, challenging traditional methodologies and highlighting the need for adaptability in a rapidly evolving field. The first talk discusses the limitations of RCTs, including their high costs, long timelines, and challenges in keeping pace with technological advancements. The second talk examines the role of real-world evidence, defining its scope, regulatory perspectives, and impact on clinical decision-making. The third talk explores pragmatic trials as a bridge between efficacy and real-world effectiveness, addressing their design and implementation. Finally, the session covers the Trials Within Cohort (TwiCs) approach, demonstrating how cohort-based randomised trials can offer ethical and practical advantages. Together, these talks offer a roadmap for modernizing clinical research in radiation oncology.