Caen representatives at the PTCOG62 congress (from left to right): Virgile LETELLIER (Normandy Hadrontherapy), Christophe LEFOLL (Normandy Hadrontherapy), Siamak HAGHDOOST (University of Caen), C. LAURENT (Centre Baclesse), J.-L. HABRAND (Centre Baclesse), Juliette THARIAT (Centre Baclesse), Sigal BEN PELI (KENES).
The congress of PTCOG (Particle Therapy COoperative Group), a global non-profit organization of scientists and professionals interested in proton, light ion and heavy particle radiotherapy, took place from June 10 to 15, 2024, in Singapore.
This 62nd edition brought together the community of all professionals (physicians, physicists, biologists, industrialists, managers) involved in the discipline. First published every six months in 1985, then annually, the magazine's readership increased sharply in the mid-2000s, coinciding with the medical community's growing interest in proton therapy, its technological advances and the gradual expansion of its indications.
PTCOG 's mission is to promote the science, technology and practical clinical applications of particle therapy, with the aim of improving cancer treatment to the highest possible standards in radiotherapy.
Some 2,300 people attended this year's conference, despite the remote location of the host team.
A complete program
Two days of teaching, three days of scientific congress, followed by a site visit. The event also included the activities of some twenty sub-committees (by organ pathology and by theme), reflecting the vitality of this discipline. The year 2024 will mark a new milestone for proton therapy in ENT (oro-pharyngeal cancer), with the publication of an American randomized trial (phase III), led by SJ. FRANK (MDA Houston) et al, whose key message is the significant reduction in multiple severe acute toxicities made possible by protons.
Other noteworthy clinical communications included combinations of hadron immunotherapy, in particular with carbon ions, whose effects in the vicinity or at a distance from the irradiated site appear to be confirmed, Japanese work in pancreatic cancer, and the refinement of pediatric proton therapy studies (correlation of cognitive sequelae and facial dysmorphic sequelae with irradiated anatomical substructures).
An evolving discipline
Among the many technological developments in the discipline: arc therapy (already deployed in X-ray phototherapy) improves conformation and treatment time, the use of dosimetry software that takes greater account of biological impact (via TEL and EBR) and the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict the patient's clinical evolution.
Representatives from Caen were involved in the oral and poster sessions, as well as obtaining a " Research Grant For Medicine, 2024 ". Last but not least, the congress was once again an ideal venue for professional exchanges with other teams from France and abroad.
PTCOG publishes its work in a dedicated referenced journal, ELSEVIER(Jnal of Particle Therapy). Its next congresses, organized with the participation of KENES (Geneva), an international congress organizing group, will be held in Buenos Aires from June 2 to 7, 2025, in Caen and Deauville from June 8 to 13, 2026, and in Bangkok in 2027. The assembly of the C400 superconducting cyclotron, followed by its first ion beams, should attract an exceptional audience in 2026.
The announcement of the opening of numerous facilities in Europe and around the world (including the new center in Argentina, which will host PTCOG in 2025) and of continental federations (PTCOG North-America, PTCOG Asia) demonstrates the popularity of this discipline.
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Hadrontherapy is external radiotherapy using a beam of heavy particles:
- Protons (proton therapy)
- Neutrons (neutron therapy)
- Heavy ions, mainly carbon ions (carbonetherapy)
The aim of this technique is to improve irradiation of tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue and organs. Protons have superior ballistic precision properties to photons.
Since August 2018, patients have been receiving proton therapy treatment in Caen from the Centre Baclesse Radiotherapy Department at the Cyclhad site of the Normandy Proton Therapy Center. This is the third site in France where this therapeutic modality is offered, after the Orsay (Ile-de-France) and Nice Centers.
