Cancer treatment, especially the treatment of a localized tumor volume, developed extremely fast in the past decades. This improvement is based mainly on technical developments but also on the understanding that fair and quick multidisciplinary cooperation is crucial in treatment success and patient well-being. Furthermore, economic issues have become more critical worldwide than in the past.
A new branch of cancer care called "Interventional Oncology (IO)" has been introduced and gaining more and more field in the literature - and clinical practice.
IO is a multidisciplinary treatment for localized cancer burden (primaries or metastases) using minimally invasive procedures performed under image guidance. It describes a specialty where various experts of different kinds of interventional methods are building a team to offer the best-personalized treatment for eligible patients.
Members of a successful IO team are open-minded and cooperating experts in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy), interventional radiology, interventional endoscopy, and interventional chemotherapy.
At the time being, IO is considered the fourth pillar of modern cancer care.
Regarding interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy), the roots go back to the pioneer times of radium treatments. Multiple schools worldwide, sometimes with different treatment philosophies, were established, and members of the schools were active in clinical practice, research, and educating the follower generations.
Looking back to the past 45 years of interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy), we see great successes, some failures, and changes in the acceptance – but a straight rise and development of the specialty.
Focusing on interventional radiotherapy, we made significant steps forward in improving treatment outcomes and optimizing or establishing research and educational structures within National Societies and on the European stage – but we also stopped sometimes for a while.
Nevertheless, we notice extensive development, and we also can state the growing interest and rising research success of the next generation.
For continuous success, however, it is advisable to remember the wise statement of Rosenbaum et al.*: "Given the expectations for better care at lower cost motivating changes, the lack of a shared definition of value is potentially destructive. If we can simultaneously improve quality and cut costs, it will first require a look at the whole picture — and then a willingness to believe what we see".
*Rosenbaum L, NEJM 2013; DOI: 10.1056/NEJMms1301576