Oncology Alliance Subcommittee

Subcommittee members

The Oncology Alliance Subcommittee (OAS) was formally constituted in 2013 with the important task of being the society´s leading body on issues relating to interventional oncology (IO). Its members – leading experts in the field of IO – provide continuous consultation to the CIRSE leadership and are constantly working towards the development of new projects that would advance IO.

Since its establishment, the Subcommittee has worked on meeting many essential goals for the society, such as helping increase the recognition of interventional oncology as the fourth pillar of modern cancer care, and educating young IRs and physicians about the benefits and value that IO brings. The Subcommittee pursues a multifaceted approach including not only the creation of educational content, but also the provision of specialised courses, community building, accreditation and collaborations with leading partner societies.

Facilitating the provision of educational content

ECIO

Since 2008, CIRSE has been hosting the European Conference on Interventional Oncology (ECIO) as the prime multidisciplinary platform for knowledge exchange in the field, bringing together a growing community of experts on minimally invasive cancer care. The OAS members have all been leading bodies in the organisational process of the ECIO programme, helping provide diverse and innovative content as well as trying to involve as many key experts as possible to speak at dedicated sessions.

In 2022 the OAS initiated the first IO Foundation course as part of ECIO, led by a multidisciplinary faculty coming from all clinical specialties in the field of cancer care. Numerous IR trainees and young IRs had the opportunity to learn more about the main elements modern cancer care by attending the courses organised in 2022 and 2023. Due to its major success, the course will once again be organised on the occasion of ECIO 2024.

European Curriculum and Syllabus for Interventional Oncology

The European Curriculum and Syllabus for Interventional Oncology was initiated and completed with the help of the OAS, having Thierry De Baère as writing group chair. The document is freely available online since April 2019 and has been endorsed by 24 societies. This curriculum, dedicated specifically to interventional oncology, provides recommendations and guidelines for the knowledge, skills and competencies essential to attaining proficiency in IO and providing optimal IO care to cancer patients. Its creation was an important step towards rising the standards in the specialty.

CIRSE Academy Courses

With the support of the OAS, CIRSE has so far created 9 courses dedicated to IO on the CIRSE Academy, with more courses being in production, offering comprehensive knowledge on IO procedures based on the European Curriculum and Syllabus for IR. Having a theoretical part, example cases and teaching videos, and being all peer-reviewed by experts, these CIRSE Academy courses have helped IR’s in furthering their knowledge in the field of IO.

Increasing the recognition of the IO specialty

IASIOS

The International Accreditation System for Interventional Oncology Services (IASIOS), is a membership-based accreditation system that has been specifically developed for medical facilities operating in interventional oncology and aspiring for formal recognition either as part of an existing institution or as an independent entity. It is among the most successful projects initiated by the OAS which is now going strong with numerous centres throughout the world being accredited for providing exceptional IO services

Collaborating with leading partner societies

In order to further nurture its multidisciplinary approach, members of the OAS have actively engaged with other cancer societies, including SIO, EASL, ESMO and EANM, through dedicated joint congress sessions, sharing more knowledge about various topics and treatments in the field of interventional oncology. Since many years now, CIRSE has been a member of the European Cancer Organisation (ECO), which has led to collaborative work on various projects and documents, thereby raising awareness of IO in the world of cancer care.

Subcommittee members