Global particle therapy elite at the “2nd World Forum on Particle Therapy” at KL Krems
On the initiative of the MedAustron Ion Therapy and Research Center, 80 experts in radiation therapy with protons and carbon ions came together at KL Krems to set the strategic course for the future of this form of therapy at the second “World Forum on Particle Therapy”.
2nd World Forum on Particle Therapy
The aim of the conference was to find a common vision for radiation therapy with particles, to discuss strategic directions for the development of the field on a global level and to reach a consensus on the main directions for the coming years. The Mayo Clinic and the MD Anderson Cancer Center acted as international partners of the forum, while the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences was the local partner for hosting the forum in Krems.
In 2018, the first edition of the “World Forum on Particle Therapy” (WFPT) took place with great success. The format was a novelty, as it enabled in-depth discussions and exchanges on a global level about the further development of this form of therapy for the first time. The second edition of the WFPT was once again enthusiastically received by the global community: 80 decision-makers - predominantly radiation oncologists, but also medical physicists and industry representatives - from 4 continents (Europe, the USA, Asia and Australia) accepted MedAustron's invitation to Austria.
In six discussion rounds, the participants addressed the global status of particle therapy and the most pressing issues of this high-precision cancer therapy:
- What is the latest clinical-medical evidence on particle therapy or for which cancer types are there treatment concepts?
- How can collaborations be realized on an international level, how can hurdles be removed and what is the most promising design of international Clinical Trials?
- The potential of particle therapy can only be realized through further technological innovation. Can the collaboration between academic institutions and industry be optimized?
- Particle therapy is increasingly showing physical and radiobiological properties that separate it from conventional radiotherapy. What possibilities of influencing and activating the body's own immune system and thus the possibilities of integrating particle therapy with immunotherapy in the future are promising?
- How can access to particle therapy be improved for patients in different countries?
Eugen B. Hug, Medical Director of MedAustron and initiator of the WFPT, summarized the event: “With the ‘2nd World Forum on Particle Therapy’, MedAustron has once again opened up a space that conventional conferences cannot offer, and I am very pleased with how actively and openly all participants used it and how creative approaches to solving the challenges were developed. Now it is time to capitalize on the momentum of the event: we will publish our findings together and I am confident that all participants will take them back to their institutes and incorporate them into clinical practice and research.”
The venue for the WFPT was the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences in Krems, a close cooperation partner of MedAustron in the Lower Austrian Oncology Research Network and academic home of the Department of General and Translational Oncology and Hematology, which also includes the two departments of Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics. These are each headed by MedAustron experts.
With the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Mayo Clinic, two of the world's most renowned US clinics also acted as co-organizers of the “2nd World Forum on Particle Therapy”.
In total, over 400,000 patients worldwide have already been treated with ion or particle therapy. The majority of these have been irradiated with protons, just under 15% with carbon ions - a ratio that also reflects the availability of the necessary equipment. Around 100 therapy centers worldwide currently offer particle therapy as a cancer treatment method, most of which only use protons. There are only six combined facilities for treatment with different types of particles worldwide, of which MedAustron is one.
The WFPT was supported by the Province of Lower Austria, the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Ion Beam Applications (iba), RaySearch Laboratories, Leo Cancer Care, medPhoton, the Austrian Center for Medical Innovation and Technology (ACMIT), ecoplus Technopol Krems and Life Science Austria (LISA).
