The International Atomic Energy Agency has designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology as an IAEA Collaborating Centre to strengthen childhood cancer care worldwide.
The partnership agreement was signed in Utrecht, the Netherlands, by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, with Her Majesty Queen Máxima in attendance. The collaboration will focus on expanding practical knowledge and training in the use of radiotherapy for treating children with cancer.
“It is our mission to reduce the big disparities in radiotherapy for children around the world; knowledge and training are a key part of that,” Grossi said. He added that paediatric radiotherapy teams will apply what they learn at the Princess Máxima Center in their home countries, benefiting children and families who rely on those services.
The designation will advance education, training and quality assurance in paediatric radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition, supporting the IAEA’s Human Health Programme and its Rays of Hope initiative. The IAEA will work closely with the Princess Máxima Center to improve radiotherapy treatment for children.
Prof. Dr. Rob Pieters, Chief Máxima International at the Princess Máxima Center, said the collaboration will enable radiotherapy oncologists to treat children more safely and effectively in their own countries and will strengthen cooperation with hospitals in underserved regions. “It substantially contributes to our centre’s mission… curing every child with cancer, with the best possible quality of life,” he said.
As a Collaborating Centre, the Princess Máxima Center will support IAEA technical missions, including paediatric radiation oncology quality assurance missions and QUATRO audits, and assist in developing guidance documents and training materials for radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition professionals.
The IAEA and the Princess Máxima Center will prioritize joint efforts in Africa, beginning with a new partnership in Kenya, to improve access to high-quality paediatric cancer care. The centre will also host regional training courses for paediatric radiation oncology teams, starting with a session currently under way in Utrecht, and will support capacity building in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia.
The designation reinforces the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, which seeks to expand access to cancer care in low- and middle-income countries by strengthening radiotherapy and related services. Leveraging the Princess Máxima Center’s expertise, the IAEA aims to accelerate development of global standards and training programmes to help countries implement safe, effective and sustainable childhood cancer treatment.
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