Programme

Overview: Through hardships to the stars! The path to a successful career is often filled with challenges. This session is designed to support young professionals in navigating some of these hurdles. After completing training, many professionals find themselves stepping into supervisory roles. How can we foster the optimal growth of our younger colleagues? The second presentation focusses on ways to deliver feedback to peers. It can be quite a challenge to critically discuss differences in opinion with more senior colleagues. We’ll also explore tips and tricks to maintain self-confidence while taking on new roles, responsibilities, and tasks as you climb the career ladder. This session is relevant and engaging for professionals from a wide range of disciplines.

Overview: In the last years, MR-Linac research, translation and clinical application was the dominating innovation in RT. With the recent introduction of new CBCT-guided linac hardware in combination with streamlined adaptive workflow, the dominance of MR-Linacs in the online-adaptive context might change. Will MR-Linacs completely vanish? Or will they become a niche application like Cyberknife or others? Or will the superiority of the MR-guidance lead to breakthrough-applications? What are the advantages and disadvantages of CBCT-guided online adaptions? What do you think – will CBCT-based fast adaptation workflows will supersede broad MR-Linac usage? Will our four debaters change your opinion? What will be the majority vote?

Overview: This section will focus on how innovations can seek to improve productivity, quality and efficiency of radiotherapy care delivery in Europe and more globally. Examples will include the rapid evolution in hypofractionation with strong level 1 evidence for its clinical benefit but in addition substantial benefits for patients and for departments looking to manage increasing patient demand and care backlogs. There will be a focus on the role of AI to manage workforce deficits with a clear message around the importance of evaluation before adoption across high-and lower income settings, with lessons learned from the ongoing international ARCHERY study. This will be followed by a broader discussion on the challenges of introducing innovation, the risk of non-adoption and abandonment of novel technology in healthcare, and the importance of building capacity in implementation research and transformation change management amongst the radiotherapy community to increase chances of adoption.

Overview: In many curative fields of radiation oncology, the need of large fields of irradiation comprising elective nodal volumes has been scrutinized over the last years. In head and neck cancer, the inherent lymphophylic behavior of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma has traditionally mandated the practice of neck management, in parallel to standard practice in head and neck surgery. Based on recent trends of research, spanning from new approaches in nodal staging to the integration of AI-based models, the concept of ENI has been questioned. Is it time for a major shift from standard practice in head and neck radiotherapy?

Overview: This session will provide an overview of new applications and explore the future of AI in clinical practice from the perspective of both radiation oncologists and radiologists. The introduction of AI is revolutionising radiotherapy workflows by optimising tumour and organ segmentation, saving valuable time for radiation oncologists. In addition, AI has great potential in areas such as quality control, treatment plan verification, optimisation of image-guided radiotherapy and real-time monitoring of moving tumours, such as lung and liver tumours, during treatment. In diagnostic imaging, AI applications are emerging in screening programmes, prognostic assessment and predictive modelling. These areas are becoming more prominent in research, with early impacts already visible in clinical practice. The integration of AI-based models will be a key challenge in the coming years. The presentations will focus on the feasibility, testing and planning of innovative AI solutions in both radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging, emphasising the growing influence of AI on the workflows of oncologists and radiologists.

Overview: In fractionated radiotherapy, the dose delivered each day varies between treatment sessions. In current clinical practice each fraction is evaluated separately to allow for the evaluation of dosimetric changes of even the necessary adaptations to the treatment plan. Dose accumulation enables tracking of the total dose throughout the treatment. However, due to large and poorly quantified uncertainties, interpreting accumulated doses remains challenging and is currently limited in clinical practice. This debate will explore whether dose accumulation could provide a clinical benefit in future radiotherapy.

Overview: During this session, speakers will address the needs of adolescent and young adult (AYA) radiotherapy patients, with a focus on quality-of-life aspects, during and up to six months post-treatment. Topics also include the value of informative sessions within the radiotherapy pathway and strategies for implementation. The Irish experience with Hodgkin lymphoma AYA survivors will highlight tailored physical and psychosocial support and the integration of survivor input into resource development. Finally, the Peer2Me intervention will be presented, showcasing its impact on both mentors and mentees.