Paediatric Oncology Workshop Delivers Concrete Roadmap for Expanding Access to Radiotherapy for Children Living with Cancer in Europe and Central Asia

“We chose to focus this first workshop on strategic discussions on childhood cancer in particular because of existing common challenges in paediatric radiotherapy,” explained Elena Fidarova, a radiation oncologist from the IAEA's Division of Human Health. The paediatric radiation oncology community is very small, with about 70 per cent of participating countries having only between one and five  radiation oncologists treating children with cancer. “Regional networks are essential, as radiotherapy professionals can really benefit from each other’s perspectives and experiences,” she added.

Participants held focused discussions on how to successfully integrate radiotherapy into comprehensive treatment plans; explored how radiation oncology services can be optimized at the national level; discussed priorities and needs in terms of education, research and training; and debated which actions were needed to improve the quality of clinical care for children and adolescents. The workshop also featured educational refresher sessions on various aspects of radiotherapy for childhood cancer care.

The benefit of sharing experiences was highlighted by more than one participant attending the workshop: “The Regional Workshop was invaluable to understand where Bulgarian paediatric radiotherapy stands compared to other countries, what problems are shared and to find a way to optimize and improve our protocols, practice, and corresponding treatment results,” said Elitsa Encheva, a radiation oncologist from Bulgaria. “It was an opportunity to agree on standards for better and wider educational and training programmes and to improve standards of paediatric radiotherapy across all countries,” added radiotherapy therapist (RTT) Kateřina Poláchová from the Czech Republic.

Also actively involved in the organization of the workshop was the WHO, who presented the progress achieved so far through its Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) – an initiative launched in 2018 to prioritize childhood cancer at global, regional and national levels. Rays of Hope and the GICC are aligned in their goal of providing quality cancer care to children with cancer and the two organizations collaborate closely to this effect: “This workshop clearly showed that even in times of crises and emergencies, UN agencies remain supportive of international collaboration and ensure professional cooperation between specialists for a peaceful and prosperous future for mankind by defeating cancer in children. We need more events like this,” said Vitaly Smelov, Medical Officer at the World Health Organization.

“We are delighted with the success of this first Rays of Hope Anchor Centre workshop which marked a milestone on so many levels,” said Eve-Külli Kala, Director of the IAEA Division for Europe in the Department of Technical Cooperation. “It was a first for the region of Europe and Central Asia, a first for the Rays of Hope initiative, but most importantly, a major step on the way towards improving access to radiotherapy for children and adolescents living with cancer,” she added.

What is Rays of Hope?

Rays of Hope is an initiative launched by the IAEA in February 2022 whose goal is to reduce the gap in access to high quality cancer care around the globe. Central to this flagship initiative are Anchor Centres: cancer institutes with a demonstrated record of working with the IAEA; deep technical expertise; long term commitment; and robust governance and medical infrastructure, among other criteria. These centres provide targeted support to neighbouring countries in key areas such as research, education, training, innovation and quality assurance. In creating the opportunities for regional, subregional and interregional advancement within cancer care, Anchor Centres help to ensure a lasting impact.