Dear colleagues,

Over the past months, we have been monitoring the evolution of the travelling restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. The uncertain forecasts for the next months have led us to the decision to move the World Congress of Brachytherapy (WCB) in 2021 to a fully digital setting. It is my privilege and great pleasure to invite you to attend the WCB which will take place as an online congress from 6-8 May 2021.

Following up on the very successful World Congress in Barcelona in 2012 and San Francisco, CA, US in 2016, the World Congress of Brachytherapy will aim to gather leaders in the field of brachytherapy to deliver an exciting scientific programme.

The GEC-ESTRO Group led the efforts in the development of the scientific programme for this congress in close collaboration with the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) and supported by the Australasian Brachytherapy Group (ABG),  the Asociación Ibero Latinoamericana de Terapia Radiante Oncológica (ALATRO), the Canadian Brachytherapy Group (CBG),  the Federation of Asian Organizations for Radiation Oncology (FARO) and  the Indian Brachytherapy Society (IBS). The Scientific Programme Committee for the congress is comprised of members from the participating brachytherapy societies.

The comprehensive scientific programme for WCB offers state-of-the-art teaching lectures, and symposia / debates on hot topics. The sessions will be organised around the topics of Physics, Prostate, Gynaecology, Breast, Gastrointestinal, Head & Neck, Eye/Orbit, and Skin, and finally, Health Economics.

The WCB can only become a successful scientific event thanks to the multitude of contributions coming via abstract submissions.

Abstracts accepted for WCB 2020 can be re-submitted for presentation during WCB 2021. Although the abstracts will undergo a new review process, the Scientific Programme Committee will make every effort to assign the re-submitted abstracts the same presentation format as intended for WCB 2020 initially. Re-submissions of WCB 2020 abstracts; re-submissions with updated findings, as well as new abstract submissions are welcome! You are, therefore, strongly encouraged to submit / re-submit an abstract by 11 November 2020 and become part of this prestigious event.

This congress will represent a good opportunity to exchange different brachytherapy indications, methods, and results from all over the world. We hope to welcome many participants virtually at this important event.

Bradley Pieters

Chair, World Congress of Brachytherapy