S2987
Invited Speaker
ESTRO 2026
misalignment persists between service delivery and patient expectations. Particular attention will be given to underserved perspectives, including patients with diverse skin tones, those experiencing stigma-related cancers, and individuals navigating long-term side effects. By amplifying real patient voices, this session will challenge professionals to reflect on their practice and consider practical, achievable changes. Attendees will leave with a set of patient-informed priorities that can be embedded into radiotherapy pathways, education, and service design to improve both experience and outcomes. 5274 Treatment planning systems: Validating vendor- provided configurations Jeroen B Van de Kamer Radiation Oncology, NKI-AVL, Amsterdam, Netherlands Introduction Nowadays, most treatment planning system (TPS) vendors provide a largely pre-commissioned beam model requiring only a limited set of user measurements—typically percentage depth-dose curves and (wedged) profiles at specified depths and field sizes. As a final step, users must establish the calibration between monitor units delivered by the linac and dose at a reference point, such as 10 cm depth in water with a 100 cm source-to-detector distance. With these inputs, the TPS generates a beam model capable of calculating the 3D dose distribution for complex delivery techniques, including Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). Whereas earlier systems offered users considerable freedom to fine-tune model parameters, most modelling decisions today lie with the vendor, placing the emphasis on thorough user validation. Model Verification It is inherently impossible to verify all combinations of gantry angles, MLC leaf positions, and dose-rate variations that may occur in clinical plans. Complicating matters further, most TPSs employ static approximations for what is fundamentally a dynamic delivery involving coordinated gantry rotation, leaf motion, and dose-rate modulation. Additional physical effects—such as variations in beam flatness during start-up or gantry-angle-dependent effects influenced by the Earth’s magnetic field—are generally neglected. For routine clinical use, these approximations are typically sufficient, but they underscore the importance of understanding model limitations. This presentation will address the challenges involved in accepting vendor-defined configuration parameters, such as maximum leaf speed and minimum dose rate, and will discuss which parameters can—and cannot—
shaping practice. Meaningful engagement with patients enhances the relevance, quality, and confidence in services by ensuring that care reflects real patient needs and lived experiences. PPI extends beyond traditional feedback mechanisms, positioning patients and the public as active partners in research, service development, and policy. It requires inclusive representation and should be embedded across the entire radiotherapy pathway, from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, and research.When effectively integrated, PPI has the potential to transform radiation oncology practice by shifting from designing services for patients to designing them with patients. This presentation will highlight illustrative examples demonstrating how PPI can be meaningfully embedded in practice, including co-design of clinical pathways, patient information, and decision-support tools, as well as the integration of patient-reported outcomes into care planning. While examples of PPI are emerging within radiotherapy, further progress is required to ensure consistent and meaningful involvement in future service design, including representation within professional bodies and healthcare governance structures.Radiation oncology has long been at the forefront of technological innovation; however, advancing patient partnership is now equally critical. Embedding the patient voice is not simply a cultural aspiration, but a necessary step in achieving improved research, enhanced service delivery, and better patient outcomes. 5272 Living beyond cancer: Patients' wish list for a better cancer experience Jo K McNamara Radiotherapy and Oncology, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom Advances in cancer treatment have significantly improved survival, yet many patients describe gaps in their overall experience that extend beyond clinical outcomes. This presentation brings the patient voice to the forefront, using authentic narratives and direct quotations to articulate what truly matters to those living through and beyond cancer. Drawing on insights gathered through patient engagement work, including initiatives such as Rad Chat and wider community dialogue, this session will present a “patient wish list” spanning the full pathway, from diagnosis to survivorship. Key themes include the need for personalised communication, better preparation for treatment and side effects, culturally inclusive care, improved continuity, and stronger emotional and peer support networks. The presentation will highlight where current radiotherapy services succeed, but also where
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