ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S2209

Interdisciplinary – Education in radiation oncology

ESTRO 2025

Willmann, Jonas et al. Re-irradiation in clinical practice: Results of an international patterns of care survey within the framework of the ESTRO-EORTC E 2 -RADIatE platform. Radiotherapy and Oncology, Volume 189, 109947

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Poster Discussion Attracting and Retaining Radiation Oncologists: Cross-National Insights of Early-Career Professionals in Europe Luc Ollivier 1 , Francesca De Felice 2 , Beatriz Alvarez Rodriguez 3 , André Abrunhosa-Branquinho 4 , Yasmine El Houat 5 , Morten Horsholt Kristensens 6 , Danny Jazmati 7 , Anne G.H. Niezink 8 , Steven Petit 9 , Valerio Nardone 10 , Daan Nevens 11 , Viola Salvestrini 12 , Mateusz Spalek 13 , Morten Hiul Suppli 14 , Amanda Webster 15 , Jenny Bertholet 16 , Monica Emilia Chirila 17 , Dora Correia 18 , Philipp Linde 19 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut de Cancérologie de L’Ouest (ICO), Nantes, France. 2 Radiation Oncology, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy. 3 Department of Radiation Oncology, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain. 4 andre.n.a.branquinho@gmail.com, Unidade Local de Saúde Santa Maria EPE, Lisbon, Portugal. 5 Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Léon Berard, Lyon, France. 6 Department of Experimental Clinical Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. 7 Department of Radiation Oncology, Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany. 8 Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands. 9 Department of Radiation Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, Netherlands. 10 Department of Precision Oncology, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy. 11 Iridium Netwerk,, Radiation Oncology Department, Antwerp, Belgium. 12 Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy. 13 Department of Radiotherapy, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland. 14 Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. 15 National Radiotherapy Trials Quality Assurance (RTTQA) Group, University College Hospital (UCLH), 235 Euston Road, London, United Kingdom. 16 Division of Medical Radiation Physics and Department of Radiation Oncology, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 17 Department of Radiation Oncology, Amethyst Radiotherapy Centre, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 18 Department of Radiation Oncology, Cantonal Hospital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland. 19 Department of Radiation Oncology, Cyberknife and Radiation Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Purpose/Objective: Radiation oncology (RO) faces growing challenges in workforce recruitment and retention across Europe, with unoccupied residency or job positions. This study aimed to assess the current appeal and perceived constraints of the RO field among medical professionals in Europe, providing cross-national insights to guide future interventions in education and workplace practices. Material/Methods: A structured questionnaire was designed collaboratively by young ESTRO (yESTRO) members and reviewed by the yESTRO committee for accuracy and relevance. Between 12 April 2023 and 18 November 2024, the survey was disseminated online across twelve European countries, targeting early-career radiation oncologists and other key stakeholders. Respondents were asked to mention or rate factors influencing their interest in RO, challenges they face in clinical practice, and their expectations for career development within the specialty.

Results: A total of 412 responses were collected, with representation from twelve countries. The majority of the participants were from Italy (29.1%), France (25,7%),

Poland (12.1%) and Germany (11.1%).Participants were primarily residents (65,7%), equally distributed by gender (52% female, 47% male). Most respondents have validated 3 years in the course (29%) or 4 years (27,5%). Sixty percent of respondents stated that at least a resident was hired in a faculty position in their workplace in the last 5 years. Notably, 77% of the participants haven’t planned to pursue a RO career before entering residency. The most