Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications Najat Mohktar and IAEA Director of the Division of Human Health May Abdel-Wahab together with Lebanon’s Minister of Labour Mohammad Haidar during the opening ceremony of ICARO-4. (Photo : D. Calma/IAEA)
The fourth International Conference on Advances in Radiation Oncology (ICARO-4) is underway this week at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, bringing together participants from around the world to examine the latest advances in treating cancer with radiation.
Opening the conference, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications Najat Mokhtar urged attendees to remember inclusivity as they discuss recent innovations ranging from new techniques to the use of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation. “The future of radiotherapy, and of cancer care more broadly, must be equitable. For this, patients [and practitioners] must be at the centre of all we do.”
Although more than half of all cancer patients need radiotherapy at some point, access to this life-saving treatment remains out of reach for far too many. To meet the target of one machine per 500 patients, low-income countries on average need eight times more machines than currently available, the IAEA-led Lancet Oncology Commission on Radiotherapy and Theranostics found. In terms of human resources, the global radiation medicine workforce of 2022 must expand by more than 60 percent to respond to the 35.3 million new cancer cases and limit the potential 18.5 million deaths anticipated by 2050.
“Through shared commitment, we can ensure that radiation medicine continues to serve as a force for healing, resilience and sustainable growth in every corner of the world,” said Mohammad Haidar, Lebanon’s Minister of Labor, during the opening ceremony. He noted that Lebanon is strengthening education and training, creating sustainable job opportunities through investments in medical infrastructure and ensuring the well-being and dignity of its workers. These combined efforts, he added, will help improve healthcare outcomes, support the country’s broader economic recovery and contribute to its national development goals.
“The IAEA’s commitment to science, education and international cooperation has helped shape a new future for Lebanon — one in which human capital is at the centre of this progress,” he said. “Let us continue working together; let us turn dialogue into action and challenges into opportunity.”