The IAEA has designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology as a Collaborating Centre to strengthen childhood cancer care worldwide.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signed a partnership agreement with the Princess Máxima Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in the presence of Queen Máxima. The agreement aims to expand 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. “I am very pleased that paediatric radiotherapy teams will be able to take what they have learned at the Princess Máxima Center back to colleagues in their home countries, and ultimately to the children and families who count 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 closely 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 enable the center to train radiotherapy oncologists to treat children more safely and effectively in their own countries and to deepen collaboration with hospitals in underserved regions. “In this way, it substantially contributes to our center’s mission which is shared by pediatric oncologists worldwide: curing every child with cancer, with the best possible quality of life. Everywhere,” he said.
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 strengthen joint efforts across Africa, beginning with a new partnership in Kenya to boost 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 first edition currently under way in Utrecht. These activities will also target capacity building in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, where education and training have been identified as 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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