Sixth congress of South and East Europe Technology in Radiation Oncology

22-24 September, 2023

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The sixth congress of South and East Europe Technology in Radiation Oncology (SEETRO) continued the positive story of improvement of the radiotherapy profession in the Southern and Eastern European regions. It built on previous congresses, which began with the first in Belgrade in 2013, the second in Zagreb in 2015, the third in Sofia in 2017, Ljubljana in 2019 and Skopje in 2022.

SEETRO is designated for radiation technologists and therapists (RTTs), so it brought specific insights for them. It is recognised by the IAEA and endorsed by ESTRO.

A total of 140 participants (RTTs, radiation technologists and oncologists, and medical physicists) from many regional countries took part in this congress and covered a considerable number of scientific and professional topics. They attended 23 oral and three poster presentations on 22 and 23 September, while the workshop was held on 24 September.

In addition to lecturers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, we were honoured to host speakers from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Turkey, as well as Professors Mary Coffey and Michelle Leech from Ireland (via web platform) and Philippe Scherer from Austria.

Lecturers presented papers on progress in RTT education and legislation, and participants had the opportunity to discuss the handling of those topics in their home countries. Professor Leech presented a talk on moving towards advanced practice for RTTs. Advanced practice is a term used to describe the implementation of highly skilled roles and the expansion of the scope of practice of a healthcare professional who has the appropriate education. In addition, Professor Coffey and Mr Scherer led the participants in a discussion of the challenges that face RTTs. Participants discussed questions such as: ‘What is the career potential for RTTs in your country and how can this be improved?'; 'What are the current challenges that we meet in our working environment that could be changed?' and 'How can we create a plan to bring about change?'

Lecture topics included the expanded roles of RTTs, exploring current and advanced practice roles for RTTs, specific areas of education and practice, and the role of RTTs in treatment planning and dosimetry.

Radiation-oncology subjects that were discussed included site-specific stereotactic radiotherapy/radiosurgery, image-guided and surface-guided radiotherapy, patient positioning and immobilisation, and quality assurance in radiotherapy. The participants were able to exchange knowledge and their own clinical experiences.

We believe that through this congress we have gained new knowledge and experiences, and through the holding of many more congresses to come, the professional cooperation and development of the RTT profession in our region will continue to increase. This positive story will be continued at the next SEETRO congress, which will be held in Istanbul in 2025.

Enis Tinjak, medical radiology technologist, radiation therapist

PhD in Health Science

Clinical Center University of Sarajevo

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina