Course director

Bradley Pieters, Radiation Oncologist, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam (NL)

Teachers

• Åsa Carlsson-Tedgren, Medical Physicist, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm (SE)
• Cyrus Chargari, Radiation Oncologist, Pitié Salpêtrière University Hospital, Paris (FR)
• José Luis Guinot Rodríguez, Radiation Oncologist, Fundación Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia (ES)
• Peter Hoskin, Clinical Oncologist, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, London (UK) and The Christie, Manchester (UK)
• Mirjam Laman, RTT, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam (NL)
• Andrea Slocker Escarpa, Radiation Oncologist, Institut Català d’Oncologia, Barcelona (ES)

Contouring administrator

Andrea Slocker Escarpa, Radiation Oncologist, Institut Catala d’Oncologia, Barcelona (ES)

Course aim

The course aims to:

• Cover the basic and general principles of brachytherapy: historical notes on evolution of brachytherapy, sources, after loading systems, imaging for brachytherapy, dosimetry, the essentials of ICRU reports, uncertainties in brachytherapy, radiobiology of different time dose patterns (LDR, HDR, PDR and permanent implants), radioprotection and organisation of a brachytherapy department.
• Discuss different technical and dosimetrical aspects of interstitial, endoluminal and endocavitary brachytherapy
• Discuss the main clinical subjects: gynaecological (cervix, endometrium), head and neck (oral cavity, oropharynx), urology (a.o. prostate seed implants), breast (a.o. APBI), skin, bladder and paediatric malignancies
• Illustrate practical examples of brachytherapy treatment planning
• Provide exercises for practical understanding.

Learning outcomes

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

• Essentials of brachytherapy sources, physics, applicators and afterloaders
• Essentials of brachytherapy dose planning, possibilities, and pitfalls of stepping source optimisation techniques
• Essentials of low-dose rate, high-dose rate and pulsed-dose rate radiobiology
• Indications and contraindications of brachytherapy in clinical oncology
• Essentials of different applicators to perform brachytherapy.

Course content

• Principles of radioactivity
• Sources used in brachytherapy
• Physics and dose calculation
• Image-guided brachytherapy
• Dosimetric uncertainties
• Clinical radiobiology in brachytherapy: general principles
• Radioprotection and afterloaders
• Optimisation of stepping source brachytherapy.
• Permanent seed and HDR prostate implants
• Interstitial brachytherapy
• Place of intracavitary brachytherapy in cervix, endometrium and vaginal cancer
• Place of endoluminal brachytherapy in oesophageal and bronchus carcinoma
• Brachytherapy for breast, bladder, anal canal, head and neck, and skin cancer
• Brachytherapy for pediatric malignancies
• Brachytherapy for uveal and choroidal melanoma
• Recommendations for recording and reporting in interstitial, intracavitary and endoluminal brachytherapy
• Use of DVH-parameters
• Practical examples of interstitial, intracavitary
• Applicator localisation for treatment planning
• Permanent and temporary brachytherapy treatment planning
• Practical exercises.

Prerequisites

Before commencing this course participants should be qualified or in training as a medical doctor, medical physicist or radiation therapist (RTT) in the field of brachytherapy.

Teaching methods

• 18 hours of lectures
• 4 hours of hands on practical sessions on applicators and treatment planning implantations
• 5 hours of contouring case homework and discussions.

This course consists of didactic lectures, practical sessions with applicators, interactive sessions with treatment planning stations and clinical aspects and examples.

Methods of assessment

Evaluation form.

Accreditation

• The course has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) for a maximum of 26.5 European CME credits (ECMEC®s).

EACCME credits are recognised by the American Medical Association towards the Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA). 

Crowne Plaza Athens - City Centre

50 Michalakopoulou Avenue,

11528, Athens

Greece

A draft programme is available here. Please note that the programme may be subject to change.

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.