2998 - The Role of Non-Profit and International Professional Organizations in Supporting Radiotherapy in Ukraine during the War
Presenter(s)
Z. Shepil1, S. Brovchuk1,2, R. Zelinskyi3, N. Suchowerska4, V. Iakovenko5, Y. Lozko6, A. Beznosenko6, and N. Kovalchuk7; 1O.O. Shalimov National Scientific Center of Surgery and Transplantation, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2LISOD Israeli Oncology Hospital, Pliuty, Ukraine, 3Spizhenko Clinic, Kyiv, Ukraine, 4School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 5Department of Radiation Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 6National Cancer Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine, 7Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Purpose/Objective(s): The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has disrupted its healthcare system, particularly radiotherapy. Ukraine has lost about 20% of its territory and medical institutions with radiotherapy departments due to occupation and missile attacks. Internal migration—more than 7 million—has further burdened the healthcare system, with external migration reaching approximately 6 million people, including care professionals. Despite these challenges, the Ukrainian radiation oncology community has managed to restore treatment capacity to pre-war levels. This study explores how non-profit and international professional organizations have helped bridge the gap in cancer care during the war.
Materials/Methods: Help Ukraine Group (HUG) was formed after the full-scale invasion to support cancer centers during the war. Through advocacy at professional meetings, in publications, and through collaboration with professional organizations such as ASTRO, ESTRO, ABS, AAPM, COMP, ACPSEM and IAEA, HUG was able to play a crucial role in supporting radiation therapy services in Ukraine.
Results: HUG, in partnership with UICC, ASTRO, ESTRO, AAPM, academic institutions and vendors, has delivered immobilization equipment to over 10 cancer centers, provided software to 30 centers, facilitated 12 training courses, translated a medical physics textbook into Ukrainian, and organized 50 international observerships for oncology practitioners. For the training courses, the average satisfaction score was 97%, with 350 being the largest attendance for a single course. For observerships, the median duration for radiation oncology professionals was 4 weeks, with 96.4% also attending a professional conference. The average satisfaction score for observerships was 95%. Importantly, 100% of observers reported to have learned new procedures, 89.3% reported a shift in perception of medical practice, and 60.7% implemented new procedures upon returning to Ukraine. Moving forward, HUG plans to sustain its initiatives and strengthen collaboration with the IAEA to expand support to advance reforms in radiotherapy healthcare and education. The IAEA also developing technical cooperation programs with Ukrainian centers to improve access to high-quality care, especially during the acquisition and installation of new linear accelerators to replace Co-60 machines.
Conclusion: International support is essential to address the gaps in cancer care created by conflict and to ensure that Ukrainian patients receive the treatment they need. Ukraine’s experience highlights the resilience of its healthcare system under extreme pressure and demonstrates the transformative impact of international partnerships in advancing radiotherapy, even in challenging circumstances. Ultimately, this work shows that shared goals, professional unity, knowledge exchange, and global cooperation in support of democratic values help developing countries overcome crises such as war and improve cancer care.