S43
Brachytherapy - General brachytherapy
ESTRO 2026
Chopra S, Mittal P, et al. Gynecological brachytherapy hybrid training: The Tata Memorial Centre and BrachyAcademy experience. Brachytherapy. 2024;23(6):648–659.
course, only 20.5% of participants felt “confident,” and none felt “very confident”; after completion, 44.2% felt “confident,” and 19.2% felt “very confident.” The training with anatomical phantoms was frequently cited as the most beneficial component, as it provided a safe environment for practicing ultrasound-guided needle placement, applicator assembly, and dosimetric planning.Aspects for improvement included longer course duration (21.2%), larger physical space (17.3%), and additional clinical case discussions (17.3%). Overall, 78.8% of participants stated they would recommend the course to colleagues, while only 1.9% responded “maybe.”( see Table 1 and Table 2)
Poster Discussion 4661 Brachytherapy in Ukraine: Survey-Based Assessment of Current Status, Challenges, and Formation of the Collegium of Ukrainian Brachytherapy Serhii Brovchuk 1,2 , Zoia Shepil 2 , Maryna Sokolovska 3 , Lesia Mytsak 4 , Ruslan Zelinskyi 3 , Yuliia Lozko 3 , Nataliya Kovalchuk 5 1 Radiation Therapy, LISOD - Israeli Oncology Hospital, Pliuty, Ukraine. 2 Radiation Therapy, National Institute "O.O. Shalimov National Scientific Center of Surgery and Transplantology", Kyiv, Ukraine. 3 Radiation Therapy, National Cancer Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine. 4 Radiation Therapy, Precarpathian Clinical Oncology Center, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. 5 Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, USA Purpose/Objective: Despite ongoing war and a national population decrease of approximately 7 million people (from 44.5 million before the war to 37.8 million in 2025), Ukraine continues efforts to maintain radiation therapy services. In 2023–2025, the Ministry of Health signed contracts to deliver 21 linear accelerators, reducing dependence on Co-60 in external beam therapy. Some centers are updating brachytherapy systems, given that as an example gynecological cancer is one of the leading oncological diseases in the country and requires brachytherapy. However, modernization has not been nationwide. According to DIRAC, Ukraine has 35 brachytherapy units, but 7 are not operational; more than three-quarters of the 29 active units use Co-60, many of which cannot be reloaded and lack treatment planning systems.Purpose of the study was to evaluate the current state of brachytherapy in Ukraine and identify key challenges using a national survey, and to estimate the need to establish a professional society to support training, clinical protocols, and quality assurance programs. Material/Methods: A nationwide survey was distributed to radiation therapy departments practicing brachytherapy. Questions covered equipment, cancer sites treated, patient workload, applicator sufficiency, and willingness to expand services. Equipment data were compared with DIRAC records. Responses were analyzed to identify limitations and development needs. Results: Twenty departments completed the survey (response
Conclusion: The workshop proved to be an effective educational model to enhance clinical competencies and confidence in image-guided interstitial brachytherapy. The use of 3D-printed anatomical phantoms provided a valuable simulation environment and was highly appreciated by participants, supporting the expansion of similar training initiatives across Mexico and Latin America. Keywords: Innovation, 3D printing, Phantoms References: Tan LT, Tanderup K, Kirisits C, et al. Education and training for image-guided adaptive brachytherapy for cervix cancer – the GEC-ESTRO/EMBRACE perspective. Brachytherapy. 2020;19(6):827– 836.Okonogi N, Murakami N, et al. Hands-on training tailored in response to pre-questionnaire-based survey on image-guided brachytherapy effectively reduces anxiety about its implementation. Journal of Radiation Research.2024;65(3):323–327.Dizendorf E,
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