The IAEA has designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology as an IAEA Collaborating Centre to strengthen childhood cancer care worldwide.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signed the partnership agreement with the Princess Máxima Center in Utrecht, Netherlands, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Máxima. The partnership aims to strengthen practical knowledge on 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 be able to take what they learn at the Princess Máxima Center back to colleagues in their home countries and ultimately to the children and families who rely on them.
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 with the center to improve radiotherapy treatment for children with cancer.
Prof. Dr. Rob Pieters, Chief Máxima International at the Princess Máxima Center, said the partnership will allow the centre to train radiotherapy oncologists so they can treat children more safely and effectively in their own countries and to work more closely with hospitals in those regions to advance knowledge of childhood cancer.
As an IAEA Collaborating Centre, the Princess Máxima Center will provide expert support for IAEA technical missions, including paediatric radiation oncology quality assurance missions and QUATRO audits, and will help develop guidance documents and training materials for radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition professionals.
The IAEA and the Princess Máxima Center will focus joint efforts in Africa, beginning with a new partnership in Kenya to strengthen paediatric cancer care. “Together, we are coordinating a new partnership in Africa, beginning with Kenya, to strengthen paediatric cancer care. This represents a significant step in translating global excellence into regional impact,” Grossi said.
The centre will host regional training courses for paediatric radiation oncology teams, starting with a course currently underway in Utrecht. These activities will bolster capacity in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, where education and training have been identified as top priorities.
The designation supports 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. By 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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