2011 is officially the Year of Radiotherapy and the Society is taking part in a national campaign to raise awareness of this vital cancer treatment.

“It’s 100 years since Marie Curie won her second Nobel Prize, for ‘the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element’,” explained SoR professional officer for radiotherapy Charlotte Beardmore.

“Yet, despite all the incredible progress that has been made since this time, public perceptions of radiotherapy are, to a large extent, stuck in the past.”

To address this situation, the Society has joined forces with a number of other organisations, including the Royal College of Radiologists, the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine and Cancer Research UK.

The Year of Radiotherapy is set to be officially launched by the Society’s President, Sandie Mathers, at the annual Radiotherapy Conference in Birmingham on 28 January.

To coincide with the conference, a media launch will take place in London where a panel of speakers will unveil the results of a specially commissioned survey exploring public attitudes towards radiotherapy.

The panel will work with journalists to dispel radiotherapy myths, address common misconceptions and fears and ensure the benefits of modern radiotherapy treatment are more widely recognised.

“There will be many other radiotherapy awareness initiatives taking place throughout 2011 so that we can build on the momentum from the launch and use the Year of Radiotherapy to bring about a significant shift in positive attitudes towards radiotherapy,” added Charlotte.

More details on this year-long campaign will be provided in the March issue of Synergy News

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