It is my privilege and great pleasure to invite you to ESTRO 2021 which will take place 27-31 August 2021 in Madrid, Spain.

We are all very eager to meet face-to-face again, to network and share. To make this happen, while ensuring the safety of our community, we have opted for a blended congress format of an in-person programme in Madrid enhanced by a digital component providing access to online material. We want to provide you with the best possible congress experience under all circumstances, and to foster broad and continuous participation.

Given the uncertainty linked to the ongoing pandemic, ESTRO will monitor the conditions for running the in-person component of the congress very closely. While the blended congress format might evolve in line with the conditions in place early next year, the dates of the event will remain unchanged.  

ESTRO’s new vision statement for 2030 ‘Radiation Oncology. Optimal Health for All, Together.’ emphasises the ambition of the society to further reinforce radiation oncology as a core partner in multidisciplinary cancer care, and to guarantee accessible and high-value radiation therapy for all cancer patients who need it.

We will continue to put extra effort into optimising the programme format of the ESTRO annual conference by giving more room and visibility to contributions from abstract submissions. Again, at ESTRO 2021, sessions with highlights of proffered papers will take place in a plenary setting, offering maximum visibility to your work. Furthermore, we will aim to give more visibility to posters by increasing the number of them being discussed, offering you a platform to showcase your achievements. You are therefore strongly encouraged to submit an abstract by 8 March 2021 and become part of this prestigious event. Late-breaking abstract submission will also be possible as of early April 2021 and with the deadline of 5 May 2021.

The interdisciplinary component of the scientific programme, being allocated more space compared to the past editions, will include sessions on the following topics: 

•             Education in radiation oncology

•             Guidelines

•             Hyperthermia

•             Surface-guided radiotherapy

•             RBE in proton therapy

•             FLASH

•             Radio-immunotherapy

•             MR Linac

•             State-of-the-art in lung cancer

•             State-of-the-art in prostate cancer

Once again, young members are working on preparing a dedicated Young Scientists Track encompassing relevant lectures and other activities. This will provide you with a unique opportunity to network and the possibility of becoming involved in, or even starting, international and domestic projects.

Networking with corporate partners is always invaluable. ESTRO 2021 will host Europe’s largest industry exhibition in radiation oncology. It will offer you a unique opportunity to interact with industry leaders and to find out about the latest developments in technology, techniques and oncology products.

We look forward to welcoming you in Madrid.

With warm regards,

Ben Slotman                                                

ESTRO 2021 Chair