Course Directors

• Uulke van der Heide, Medical Physicist, The Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (NL)
• Luca Boldrini, Radiation Oncologist Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome (IT)

Teachers

• Vincenzo Valentini, Radiation Oncologist, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome (IT)
• Cihan Gani, Radiation Oncologist, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen (DE)
• Sebastian Klűter, Medical Physicist, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg (DE)
• Faisal Mahmood, Medical Physicist, Odense University Hospital ,Odense (DK)
• Helen McNair, Lead Research Radiographer, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton (UK)
• Stella Mook, Radiation Oncologist, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht (NL)

The recent technological development in Image Guided Radiotherapy has led to the introduction of new hybrid machines linking an MRI scanner to a linear accelerator. The possibility to have high soft tissue contrast with no extra dose to the patient and live imaging to gate the treatment delivery open new frontiers in the world of adaptive radiotherapy. The complexity of this new discipline requires advanced skills in the fields of physics and radiotherapy.

In this interdisciplinary course, we aim to:

- Provide a detailed overview of the clinical rationale and indications of in-room MRI-guided RT

- Deepen the knowledge of the clinical, physical and technical aspects of MRI-guided RT implementation in clinical practice

- Share opportunities and challenges of the MRI-guided radiotherapy sytems in different clinical scenarios.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course participants should be able to:

• Understand the technology underlying the hybrid MR Linac system, discussing the differences between high and low magnetic field machines
• Appreciate the clinical rationale of in room MRI-guided RT and its possible applications in the frame of modern IGRT
• Understand the clinical workflow of an in-room MRI-guided RT treatment and the role of all the involved professionals
• Become familiar with the most innovative online adaptive radiotherapy approaches
• Identify the most appropriate patients positioning solutions
• Appreciate the different planning strategies of MRI-guided RT
• Become familiar with patients selection criteria and MRI safety issues.

Course Content

The online course will be structured as follows:

- a synchronous online kick-off meeting on 8 October

- pre-recorded lectures will be available from 8 October onwards in ESTRO Moodle

- from 8 October to 11 November, weekly one synchronous online Q&A session with the faculty

- on 11 November:

• A 2 hour synchronous session recap of the course
• Formal closing of the course with a synchronous wrap-up event via Teams

Prerequisites

Defined for each of the disciplines, basic knowledge of radiation oncology, radiation physics and magnetic resonance imaging are prerequisites.

Teaching Methods

• Online pre-recorded lectures will be made available from 8 October onwards
• Online Q&A sessions with the faculty (4, one weekly) between 8 October and 11 November

Methods of Assessment

• MCQ
• Evaluation form

Programme

The pre-recorded lectures will be available in ESTRO Moodle from 8 October onwards.

The following ZOOM webinars are scheduled and participants are requested to be online on the following days/times:

Click here for the full programme.

Thursday 8 October - 14:00 to 15:00 CET - Kick-off with a live webinar

Live zoom webinars for the Q&A sessions and Meet-the-Prof sessions are scheduled on:

Wednesday 14 October – 10:00-11:00 CET – Q&A session

Tuesday 20 October – 14:00-15:00 CET – Q&A session

Monday 26 October – 10:00-11:00 CET – Q&A session

Tuesday 3 November – 18:00-19:00 CET – Q&A session 

Between 4 and 8 November all students are requested to take out the MCQ test in ESTRO Moodle

Monday 9 November – 11:00-12:00 CET – Meet-the-Prof session

Tuesday 10 November – 15:00-16:00 CET – Meet-the-Prof session

Wednesday 11 November – 14:00-16:00 CET – recap session and official closure

Wednesday 11 November - 16:00-16:30 CET - demo presentation by Viewray

Wednesday 11 November – 16:30-17:00 – demo presentation by Elekta

Membership

ESTRO members can order products at substantially reduced prices. Please note that in order to benefit from the member price, you must renew your membership for 2020 before registering to the course.To benefit from these member rates, please visit the membership page to become a member or renew your membership BEFORE proceeding with your order.

Fees

*  All specialties: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia,, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine

RTTs and physicists only: Cyprus  

RTTs only: Italy 

To apply for the above rate, please contact education@estro.org at least 2 weeks before the start of the course. Thereafter, the desk rate will be applied.

** Members with specialty Radiation Therapist (RTT) may register at the In Training fee

The standard rate is applied up to 2 weeks before the starting date of the course.

Desk rates are applied 2 weeks before the starting date of the course.

Advance registration & payment are required.              

Registration will close on the date published on the front page of the course.
 

Cancellation

A registration to the online workshop may be cancelled without any fees before pre-online course material is sent out. Pre-online course material is sent out a few days before the first workshop lesson. After the pre-online course material is sent out, no refund of the  registration fee is possible.

Fee for ESTRO members working in countries with a less competitive economic background:

ESTRO members working in countries with a less competitive economic background can benefit from the above fees if three conditions are met:

1. Only ESTRO members for 2020 are eligible (please make sure your 2020 membership is in order before you apply for the reduced fees
2. Sponsored candidates are not entitled to these fees (the invoicing address has to be the one of the participant)  
3. Your application is submitted 2 weeks before the course start date