Blog: Strengthening the call for World-class Radiotherapy at ESTRO, OPC and UKIO Congress
By Sarah Quinlan
As a small charity with a big fight on our hands, it’s essential that our work is rooted in the radiotherapy workforce and wider community. That way, we can build the strongest and loudest voice speaking up for radiotherapy and the patients that need it. 
In a bid to grow this voice and amplify the cost-effective solutions on offer, we facilitated the creation of World-Class Radiotherapy – Right Patient, Right Treatment, Right Time: a 10-year vision for this life-saving treatment. The Vision launched in Westminster in February 2024 , in line with World Cancer Day, and has been widely read and received.
The Vision document, commissioned by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy, is a living document, created and evidenced by Parliamentarians, the workforce, academics, patients, and our charity.
What better chance to share this Vision than by taking it to this year’s ESTRO, OPC and UKIO?
A first for ESTRO, and for us!
We were thrilled to have our Radiotherapy UK and Global Coalition for Radiotherapy abstract poster on display – highlighting the need for national and international advocacy for improved access to radiotherapy. View the poster here.
ESTRO showcases what radiotherapy can do – research and technologies that can cure and treat patients with cancer quicker and better. Yet there are major issues with access and many many patients both in the UK and globally aren’t getting the right treatment at the right time.
The Glasgow-based conference was also a great moment to catch up with supporters old and new! Our thanks to Elekta, Varian, Accuray, Brainlab, Vertual Ltd, Amethyst Radiotherapy and Leo Cancer Care for your ongoing support.
OPC grows our radiotherapy network
Radiotherapy was front and centre at OPC this year. Jo and Naman from oncology podcast @Rad_Chat ran a bustling Radiotherapy Theatre with a full programme of guest speakers – including us of course! We were proud to present the Vision document, which includes practical working solutions for next steps around the key themes of Leadership, Access, Workforce, Data, Research and Investment.
www.ASVphotos.com
OPC was also the perfect place to connect with the Radiotherapy Workforce – and we have since welcomed seven new Ambassadors as a result. We also had some great conversations with patient advocates which we have followed up on. With plans to soft launch our website patient resources in November, these views and perspectives are priceless for our learning. Our aim is to create the best resources we can. People with cancer deserve nothing less.
Radiotherapy Vision billed as ‘big hitter’ at UKIO
Our next stop was UKIO – presenting the Vision to a very engaged audience who asked some great questions. The annual Imaging and Oncology congress is the largest in the UK, and a great chance to connect with the wider oncology community to share how MedTech technologies, precision medicine, data and AI can enhance treatment outcomes.
Our volunteer, Kehinde, captured everyone’s attention by bringing her lived experience of radiotherapy to the room, while our guest speakers gave a 360-degree view of the Vision.
For a great overview of the talk, check out this blog post by Darien Laird from the Global Coalition for Radiotherapy.
Global Coaliton for Radiotherapy blog on UKIO
VIDEO: Kehinde at UKIO
We were joined by, and would like to thank:
- Dr Katie Wakeham, Clinical Oncologist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- Kehinde Popoola, Patient Representative
- Jo McNamara, Registered Therapeutic Radiographer and Senior Lecturer in Radiotherapy & Oncology, Sheffield Hallam University
- Professor Carl Rowbottom, Director of Physics, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
- Anthony Stanton, Lead Engineering Technologist, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
- Darien Laird, Executive Director, Global Coalition for Radiotherapy
- Professor Pat Price, Visiting Professor, Imperial College London, Chair, Radiotherapy UK, and Co-founder, CatchUpWithCancer Campaign
- Jo McNamara and Naman Julka-Anderson, @Rad_Chat
Download a free copy of the Vision here
Where next?
The team at Radiotherapy UK are busy working behind the scenes on London Global Cancer Week (November 11 to 15) If you would like to meet us there, please get in touch through our website.
