Miet Vandemaele, Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Human Structure and Repair at UGhent, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Looking back to an inspiring European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) 2026 conference!
Many thanks to the ESTRO2026 faculty for the opportunity to talk about the Value-Based Radiation Oncology (VBRO) project and discuss the role of health economics in radiotherapy in the ‘new methods, real impact’ symposium in the ESTRO EarlyCareerCommittee track.
Main takeaway: radiotherapy requires a tailored strategy (for example, a value-based strategy, currently under construction in the VBRO project!) to demonstrate what interventions really bring high value to our patients and are worth implementing or reimbursing!
In addition, a scoping literature review on patient priorities was presented in a poster Discussion session, demonstrating that patient priorities are a severely under-researched area (only 52 studies met inclusion criteria!). Some endpoints are prioritised consistently (survival , functionality, adverse events), multiple endpoints seem more appropriate than a single priority. However, the evidence is limited and heterogenous, further research is urgently needed.
Look out for publication of this paper soon! In the next steps, the VBRO project will address this gap in the knowledge to support truly patient-centred care and oncopolicy.
Learn more about the Value-based Radiation Oncology project here !
Many thanks to all colleagues and collaborators, and especially to the VBRO and HERO chairs Ajay Aggarwal and Yolande Lievens for their input and support!”
Other articles about ESTRO2026 on OncoDaily.