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)

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.

Key words

Brachytherapy, basic course, clinical aspects, state-of-the-art implantation techniques, physics.

Further reading

Please consult the ESTRO website page of this course for further information.

2^nd edition GEC-ESTRO Handbook, accessible with an ESTRO account (members and non-members).

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.

Programme to follow

HF Ipanema Park

R. de Serralves 124

4150-702 Porto

Portugal

Membership

ESTRO members can order products at substantially reduced prices. To benefit from the member registration rate, you must subscribe for the ESTRO membership 2025 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

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, 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.  

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

1. Only ESTRO members for 2025 are eligible (please make sure your 2025 membership is in order before you click on the BOOK NOW  button)
2. Only one course per person per year can be subsidized by ESTRO
3. Sponsored candidates are not entitled to reduced fees (the invoicing address has to be the one of the participant)  

 Please note:

• We can only guarantee a certain number of reduced fees per course
• Application deadlines are the same as early registration fees