Dr. Mihaela Birligea, gastroenterologist, Romania:
“I think it’s very important to see how my colleagues handle these complex patients, as they require a multidisciplinary team approach. This collaboration is vital for gastroenterologists and interventionalists alike.
When we think of radiologists, we often only associate them with interpreting CT or MRI scans. However, this meeting changed my perspective, showing how we can collaborate with IRs on interventions for our patients.”
Dr. Alios Komarek, radiologist, Switzerland:
“Sometimes in a procedure, we must make a last-minute decision, even after the tumour board’s decision, because sometimes conditions change in the weeks leading up to a procedure. This initiative enables us to collaborate as a team to make safe, last-minute decisions based on our combined knowledge and experience.
Oncology has become a huge field of research and discoveries, and so many experts are involved in this area. I would like to take some more colleagues to ECIO and show them how we as IRs see it and how we can work together as a team. We’re not strong enough on our own. We need to work together, as a team I believe we can go much further.”
Dr. Alexander Villalobos, interventional radiologist, USA:
“How one specialty sees the other can sometimes feel like a black box during tumour board discussions. By allowing colleagues from different specialties to come learn what IRs do, the Collaborating Against Cancer Initiative has helped shine a light on understanding each other’s perspectives. This opportunity has allowed me to show my tumour board colleagues what IRs can do, further strengthening collaboration and bridging the gap between our specialties.”
Other congresses have previously encouraged IRs to bring their non-IR colleagues to the conference. However, I think ECIO is the first major congress I’ve seen that has actually provided funding to support this effort. Specifically, CACI has helped cover the full registration fee, which is often the biggest barrier to inviting a colleague to attend. Overall, this initiative has significantly reduced the barriers for IRs to invite other non-IR colleagues to attend this multidisciplinary conference.”
Dr. Sara Westergraad, radiation oncologist, USA:
“This opportunity familiarized me with various procedures that are offered in interventional radiology and the differences between the two specialities. Now, I’m more familiar with the tools in the toolbox for all my patients, even tools outside of radiation oncology.
I went to the ESTRO meets ECIO session, which I found particularly helpful. It was good to learn a little bit more about the data behind some of the techniques that IR uses. I also found useful that there was talk about immunotherapy with radiation therapy and interventional radiology. I didn’t even realize that was a thing, so I really enjoyed learning more about that.”
