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The Nordic Radiotherapy Diploma Programme (NORTHDIP) for Clinical Oncologists

Programme endorsed by ESTRO

Vernmark K1, Engleson J2, Evers C3, Friborg J4, Hedman M5, van Helvoirt R6, Kitti P7, Skyttä T8, Sævarsdóttir V.Ý9, Vaalavirta L10, Vogelius I11.

  1. MD, Department of Oncology in Linköping, and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. Board Member of the Swedish Society for Radiation Oncology
  2. MD, University hospital in Malmö and Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden
  3. MD PhD, Center for cancer treatment, Sørlandet hospital trust, Kristiansand, Norway.
  4. MD PhD, Department of Oncology, Rigshospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
  5. MD PhD, Department of Radiation Oncology, Karolinska University Hospital, Department of oncology-pathology, Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Board Member of the Swedish Society for Radiation Oncology
  6. MD, Center for cancer treatment, Sørlandet hospital trust, Kristiansand, Norway. ESTRO liaison officer Norway
  7. MD, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki
  8. MD PhD, Department of Oncology and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Wellbeing Services county of Pirkanmaa, Finland. Board member of the Finnish Oncological Society.
  9. MD, Landspitalinn University Hospital, Iceland
  10. MD, PhD, Docrates Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
  11. Professor, head of medical physics, Department of Oncology, Rigshospitalet & Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

Oncologists in the Nordic countries are trained as clinical oncologists, requiring expertise in both medical and radiation oncology. We identified a need for supplementary radiotherapy courses for Nordic oncologists specialising in radiotherapy following their clinical oncology training.

The Nordic Radiotherapy Diploma Programme (NORTHDIP) is a two-year advanced education programme for clinical oncologists across the Nordic countries: Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, with each country hosting a one-week course. The goal is to improve radiotherapy skills and foster collaboration among Nordic clinical oncologists working in radiotherapy to keep evolving Nordic expertise and inspire collaborations in research and development.

The NORTHDIP content aligns with ESTRO’s core curriculum for radiation oncologists and covers:

  • Advanced radiophysics, dose planning, organs-at-risk constraints, and advanced technologies (Sweden 2024).
  • Radiobiology, Benign Diseases, and Palliative Care (Norway 2025).
  • Reirradiation, Stereotactic Radiotherapy, and BNCT: (Finland 2025).
  • Adaptive radiotherapy and imaging (CBCT, dual-energy CT, PET-CT, MRI), and integrating proton and MR-Linac therapy (Denmark 2026).
  • Nordic Research Protocols: Participants design clinical trials for collaborative Nordic implementation and shared patient recruitment (Iceland 2026).

The first NORTHDIP edition saw high demand, with all thirty places filled from a pool of applicants nearly double the available spots. The first course in Sweden October 2024 was intense, but the passionate lecturers made complex topics accessible. While focused on photon treatments, electron, proton, and carbon ion therapies were covered. Lectures offered deeper insights into radiotherapy machine structures and how that can be used for effective dose plans, sparking "aha" moments among participants, particularly about understanding treatment uncertainties, insights that will refine safer and better patient care.

Valuable discussions with colleagues were mixed with lectures. Comparing treatment protocols, technology use, and problem-solving approaches across different clinics and countries proved highly educational. All participants had prepared presentations on new techniques introduced or planned at the clinics. This allowed reflection on quality control and risk analysis in a collaborative setting. The participants were very engaged, sharing insights and ideas that could be brought back to the clinics. In the evaluation form, the question “Would you recommend NORTHDIP to a colleague,” received an average rating of 5.5 out of 6.