Nearly 1000 participants joined the 5th annual congress on Flash Radiotherapy & Particle Therapy, FRPT, in one of the most beautiful cities in the heart of Europe: Prague.
Joined by radiobiologists, physicists, clinicians and other researchers involved in this exciting field, these 3 days offered the very best global platform for brainstorming about current research, new developments and future steps to bring the newest technological advances to the reality of clinical practice for the future of people affected by cancer.
During the first lunch symposium, organised by SIT – Sordina IORT Technologies, an overview was presented on clinical relevance and perspectives, early clinical trials and applications, and the latest technological developments in FLASH radiotherapy using an electron accelerator. The symposium also served as the occasion to announce the winner of the ‘FLASH MD: Be the First’ contest—revealing the site that will receive the world’s first clinically certified medical FLASH device—following the announcement made at the ESTRO Congress in Vienna in May 2025.
Based on the evaluation of the numerous submissions, the Scientific Advisory Board selected the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón (HGUGM) team’s proposal, under the leadership of Professor Felipe A. Calvo. Together, we are convinced that, with Prof. Calvo’s demonstrated extensive experience in the field of IntraOperative Radiation Therapy (IORT), a scientifically important contribution to the transition from preclinical to clinical research will be made in the coming years.
The selected proposal from HGUGM is not intended as an isolated event but as an important initial clinical step that can help define practical conditions, methodological approaches, and boundary conditions for the safe introduction of FLASH into clinical practice, involving IORT and superficial tumour location. In this sense, the proposal is considered a primus inter pares, a reference point within a much broader process, and by no means an endpoint.
Looking ahead, the progressive opening of European-level initiatives is expected to support the further development of enabling technologies and the structured expansion of clinical and translational activities in the FLASH domain. These opportunities will be most effective if built upon early, well-controlled clinical experiences, characterized by data quality, methodological transparency, and close interaction between clinical teams and technology developers.
HGUGM and SIT look forward to continuing a constructive dialogue with Professor Calvo and his team, with the shared goal of contributing to a responsible, stepwise, and scientifically robust clinical translation of IORT FLASH.
We would like to thank all participants once again for their engagement in this initiative and remain confident that this represents the beginning of a broader and meaningful clinical pathway.
See the speech given at the event!
With kind regards,
Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón (HUGM)
SIT – Sordina IORT Technologies
