Wiener Neustadt (OTS) – Under the title “Particle therapy in Austria – today and tomorrow”, the Wiener Neustadt ion therapy and research center MedAustron recently hosted a two-day conference. The focus was on exchanging ideas with radiation oncologists from other Austrian clinics and specialists from other disciplines about cooperation in the care of oncology patients.
Photon radiation therapy is available for cancer patients at a total of 14 clinics nationwide, while particle radiation therapy is offered by the independent MedAustron outpatient clinic. Particle radiation has been supplementing oncological care in Austria for seven years now; over 2,400 patients have already been treated with it and corresponding experience and data have been collected. A consensus among Austrian radio-oncologists formed an important basis for the realization of MedAustron; its specialists are the primary contacts in daily cooperation. The conference now organized aimed to draw an interim balance together with representatives of all radio-oncology institutes.
MedAustron’s medical director, Eugen B. Hug, and clinical director, Carola Lütgendorf-Caucig, summed up: “We are very pleased that almost all radiotherapy clinics and representatives from other disciplines accepted our invitation and actively contributed to the discussions with good ideas and arguments. The personal exchange has improved our mutual understanding of the local conditions of all institutes and will facilitate daily cooperation.”
They also identify concrete next steps: “The CNS focus group, for example, agreed to develop a joint study protocol for low-grade gliomas, which is a very good result given the limited resources of all institutes. In general, we want to offer our colleagues in the clinics more guidance in the future, especially for borderline cases where the decision for or against particle therapy is not clear. For all of us, it is ultimately about making the best treatment decision in accordance with the state of the art and taking the individual patient case into account.”
The first day of the conference offered a mixture of information and fruitful discussions: on various topic groups, the MedAustron radio-oncologists reported on the spectrum of diseases that can be treated with particle therapy in Austria at MedAustron, the evidence situation and their own published study results and gave an outlook on future developments. Tumors of the central nervous system, ENT tumors and those of the gastrointestinal tract were on the agenda, as were re-irradiation, the special features of therapy with carbon ions and a special concept for partial tumor irradiation with particles. The participants brought their perspective from radiation therapy with photons to these topic groups: using numerous examples, the advantages and disadvantages of treatment strategies with photons and particles were discussed. Practical and logistical questions that arise in the collaboration between the clinics and the MedAustron outpatient clinic were also addressed in the debates.
A second focus of the discussions was the topic of clinical studies. Questions about the increased creation of evidence on particle therapy were discussed, as were ideas for joint clinical studies. MedAustron itself conducts indication-specific clinical studies or is part of international, multi-center studies. Treatment response and side effects are also recorded in an extensive registry study.
On the second day, three focus groups were formed, which brought together not only radiation oncologists but also representatives from other medical disciplines such as surgery or (neuro)oncology. In the groups “Central Nervous System (CNS)”, “Gastrointestinal Tract” and “Immunomodulation by Particle Irradiation”, the discussions of the first day were expanded upon and treatment strategies for tumor diseases of the respective group were discussed together.
The momentum of the conference will now be further exploited and the exchange in the focus groups will be continued, even at a different location. It is also planned to repeat the conference annually.
Inquiries & Contact:
EBG MedAustron GmbH
Mag. (FH) Petra Wurzer
+43 2622 26100 111
petra.wurzer@medaustron.at
#Fighting #cancer #radiation #Successful #national #particle #therapy #conference #MedAustron