S1496
Interdisciplinary - Public engagement and visibility of radiotherapy
ESTRO 2026
misconceptions and fears about it still persist. Thanks to research, radiotherapy has changed immensely in recent decades and it is vital that the public better understands what radiotherapy can achieve. The Cambridge Radiotherapy Research Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Group1 works to overcome misinformation and to promote radiotherapy as a modern, effective and patient- centred treatment. Patients report that when they are better informed, it is easier to adhere to cancer treatment2. Material/Methods: The group works on communication projects to engage and inform patients and public. The most visible example is the creation of a 5.8m x 2.5m radiotherapy timeline display3. Located in the Addenbrooke’s radiotherapy department, this visual display aims to demystify and improve public perception of radiotherapy and celebrate patient involvement in radiotherapy research. Via QR codes, people can access bite-sized packets of information, such as patient-led podcasts4 (‘Meet our Oncologists’) and videos5 (‘How are radiotherapy masks made?’).To further disseminate the importance of patient involvement in radiotherapy research, the group produced a video presenting the timeline to an online audience. It was launched on social media on World Radiotherapy Awareness Day (7 September 2025).The Cambridge (science) Festival 2025 was an opportunity to meet the public and present a display to communicate the benefits of radiotherapy. One-to- one conversations made it easier to overturn misconceptions and boost interest in radiotherapy. We spoke to school children, potential medical students, healthcare-professionals, overseas visitors (many of whom had no notion of patient/carer involvement) and people from diverse backgrounds.We also work with the media, charities and research funders. We have organised activities for local cancer networks, spoken at conferences (often webstreamed internationally) and highlighted the importance of PPIE to the audit team of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). The group also undertakes patient involvement in research6. Results: The impact of our work can be seen in Table 1 which shows the number of people who have engaged with each activity.
Conclusion: An active patient/carer team is often best placed to communicate to the public about radiotherapy. We have experienced our own worries and can empathise with others. We can use our experience to select the tone of speech, the volume of information and the most appropriate style of presentation. We believe that our public engagement work helps to correct misconceptions and to reassure people that radiotherapy is modern, safe and effective. References: 1. https://crukcambridgecentre.org.uk/research/strategic /radnet/ppie2. Miller TA. Health literacy and adherence to medical treatment in chronic and acute illness: A meta-analysis. Patient Education and Counselling. 2016; 99(7): 1079-10863. https://crukcambridgecentre.org.uk/research/strategic /radnet/timeline4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.01.0205. https://crukcambridgecentre.org.uk/research/radnet/p odcasts6. ESTRO abstract: ‘From Patient to Partner: Bridging the Divide through a Pioneering “Dragon’s Den” Model of Co-Creation in Cancer Research’AcknowledgmentsThe Radiotherapy Research PPIE Group is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and partners with Cancer Research UK RadNet Cambridge. Keywords: Patient, engagement, radiotherapy Digital Poster 3136 Radiate equity: The presence of radiation oncology in high-impact factor journals Joseph A Schmidlen 1 , John C Knoth 1 , Bismarck C Odei 2 , Omran Saifi 3 , Austin J Sim 4 , Chad Tang 3 , Piet Ost 5,6 , Matthias Guckenberger 7 , Krishnan R Patel 8 , Jeffrey M Ryckman 9 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, West Virginia University Cancer Institute, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. 2 Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online