Faculty:

Course Director

• Marianne Koritzinsky, Radiation Biologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto (CA)

Teachers

• Rob Coppes, Radiation Biologist, UMC Groningen, Groningen (NL)
• Vincent Grégoire, Radiation Oncologist, Léon Bérard Cancer Center, Lyon (FR)
• Karin Haustermans, Radiation Oncologist, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven (BE)
• Michael Joiner, Radiation Biologist, Wayne State University, Detroit (US)
• Stephen McMahon, Radiation Biologist, Queen's University Belfast
• Laure Marignol, Radiation Biologist, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin (IE)

​Local organiser:

• Kätlin Tiigi, Medical Physicist, Head of the Radiotherapy Department at North Estonia Medical Centre, Tallin (EE)

The course aims to:

• Provide an introduction to radiation biology as applied to radiotherapy
• Cover the basic mechanisms of cell death/survival and the radiation response of tumours and normal tissues
• Explain the formulae of tissue tolerance
• Describe the biological basis for current approaches to the improvement of radiotherapy including novel fractionation schemes, retreatment, IMRT, modification of hypoxia, hadron therapy, combined radiotherapy/chemotherapy and biological modifiers of tumour and normal tissue effects

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course participants should be able to:

• Understand the biology of how ionizing radiation is able to effectively treat cancer
• Distinguish radiotherapy and its advantages from other cancer therapies
• Have the essential knowledge of radiobiology necessary for qualifying examinations

Course Content

• A series of basic lectures introducing molecular and clinical radiobiology
• Mechanisms and models or radiation cell killing
• The linear-quadratic approach to fractionation
• Molecular basis of radiation response
• Radiobiology and tolerance of normal tissues to (re)treatment
• Alternative fractionation schedules in radiotherapy
• Tumour hypoxia and the microenvironment
• Combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy
• The volume and dose-rate effect in radiotherapy
• Biological response modifiers (tumours, normal tissues) and molecular approaches to therapy
• Protons and other particles in radiotherapy
• Radiation-induced malignancies

Prerequisites

Before commencing this course participants should:

• Ensure their knowledge of basic biology and physics is at least high-school level
• Familiarise themselves with access to the journals covering radiobiology related to radiotherapy

Teaching Methods

• 27 hours of lectures
• 3 hours of tutorials
• 4 hours of discussions

Methods of Assessment

• MCQ
• Evaluation form.

Key Words

Radiobiology, radiation biology, radiation oncology, radiotherapy.

Accreditation

Application for CME recognition will be submitted to the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), an institution of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). EACCME credits are recognised by the American Medical Association towards the Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA). Information on the status of the applications can be obtained from the ESTRO office.

A draft programme is available here. Please note that it is subject to change.

Nordic Hotel Forum  |  Viru väljak 3, 10111 Tallinn, Estonia  |  www.nordichotels.eu

To secure a hotel room in the course venue, Nordic Hotel Forum, please use this link:

Short link: https://bit.ly/ESTRO24

Full version: https://book.bwhhotelgroup.com/content/ibe-86137/en_US/booking-path/hotel-rooms.86137.html?ssob=SSOBCODE&checkIn=2024-09-06&checkOut=2024-09-11&promoCode=45EWKI5&singleRate=True

Reservation deadline: 6 August 2024

Please note that all reservations are subject to availability.

For information about hotel reservations in this hotel, please contact: Merle Jakonson, Reservations & Sales Coordinator

e-mail forum@nordichotels.eu / tel +372 6222 997 and refer to the ESTRO Basic Clinical Radiobiology course from 7-11 September 2024

Membership

ESTRO members can order products at substantially reduced prices. To benefit from the member registration rate, you must subscribe for the ESTRO membership 2024 BEFORE registering to the course. To become an ESTRO member, benefit from the member registration rate and discover the many other member advantages, please visit the membership page.

Fees

* Members with specialty RadiationTherapist (RTT) may register at the In-Training fee

Early rates are applied up to three months before the starting date of the course.

Late rates are applied three months before the starting date of the course.

The fee includes the course material, coffees, lunches, and the social event.

Advance registration & payment are required.

Access to homework and/or course material will become available upon receipt of full payment.

Insurance and cancellation

Participants are strongly advised to take out their own personal insurance policy. ESTRO does not accept liability for individual medical, travel or personal accidents or incidents. Participants are strongly advised to take insurance policies to cover flight and accommodation cancellation penalties. ESTRO will not refund any travel or accommodation expenses.

For any cancellation made by the course or workshop participant, ESTRO School Events Cancellation Policy will be followed and all stated penalty fees will be applied. 

Reduced fees

Members from emerging countries may register at a preferential rate of 350 Euro. Emerging country fee applies to individuals from low-income and lower-middle-income economies according to the World Bank listing here.

Additionally, for this teaching course, all specialties from the following countries can benefit from this preferential rate: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.  In addition, medical physicists from Cyprus can email education@estro.org to apply for this fee.

The preferential rate of 350 Euro is granted automatically when you click on the  BOOK NOW  button and the conditions below are met:

1. Only ESTRO members for 2024 are eligible (please make sure your 2024 membership is in order before you click on the BOOK NOW button)
2. The application is submitted 3 months before the course start date.
3. Only one course per person per year can be subsidized by ESTRO
4. Sponsored candidates are not entitled to reduced fees (the invoicing address has to be the one of the participant)  
5. There are limited spaces available for each course in the price category. Places are granted on “first come first serve” basis.