Program Information

Program Content/Format

This course is designed to provide clinicians in practice and trainees with a comprehensive review and update of the clinical practice parameters across most major sub-disciplines of radiation oncology, including skin cancer, sarcomas, pediatrics and lymphomas, and the role of radiotherapy in the multidisciplinary management of cancer patients. The course reviews key evidence that forms the basis for current clinical practice guidelines and trends in new approaches. In addition, the course covers use of stereotactic, hypofractionated, and adaptive radiation therapy as indicated to improve outcomes for patients. It also provides hands-on experience in contouring for gynecologic, thoracic and genitourinary malignancies. It informs on the use of radiopharmaceutical therapy in the clinic. 

Statement of Need

It is challenging for busy clinicians to stay current with the latest updates in the disease sites they treat. Information is disseminated rapidly in journal articles, webinars, podcasts and social media. Summarizing this information in a reasonable and memorable format is a great service to the specialty.

The effective and safe practice of radiation oncology requires a mastery of rapidly evolving technology and ever-changing treatment paradigms. Staying current with these changes and mastering new approaches such as more refined treatment of skin cancers in the age of immunotherapy and incorporation of emerging AI/imaging and ctDNA/genomic technologies is essential for patient safety and improved survival and is a need that the ASTRO Refresher courses can fill.

The treatment of skin cancer with radiation is broadly needed but there is often a lack of experience and a learning intervention is needed to help Radiation Oncologists incorporate this into their practices in a safe and effective manner, and so we will have a session on this.

Program Objectives

Upon completion of this live activity, attendees should be able to do the following:

1. Describe and implement the latest radiation therapy treatment recommendations for clinical scenarios commonly encountered in clinical practice.
2. Safely utilize the latest radiation technologies to improve patient care.
3. Describe the data and clinical use of adaptive radiation therapy in the management of patients.
4. Appropriately and safely incorporate the treatment of radiopharmaceutical therapy into clinical practice.

Elements of Competence

This educational forum has been designed to narrow the following competency gaps, 13 of the 19 core competencies embraced by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the Institute of Medicine, the American Board of Radiology and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education:

• Patient care and procedural skills, medical knowledge, systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement
• Patient-centered care, work in interdisciplinary teams, emply evidence-based practice, and apply quality improvement
• Commitment to lifelong learning, assessment of knowledge, judgment and skills and improvement in medical practice
• Roles/responsibilities, communication, and teams and teamwork

Target Audience

The meeting is designed to meet the interests of practicing radiation oncologists, radiation oncology residents, radiation physicists, radiation therapists, radiation biologists, radiation dosimetrists, nurses and all other health professionals involved in the field of radiation oncology.