Canada does not yet have a hospital-based proton therapy centre. "A Vision for Proton Therapy in Ontario" will be an interactive educational session with the objective to familiarize hospital leaders, government administrators, and health care providers regarding the benefit of proton therapy for children and adult cancer patients in Ontario, Canada"s most populous province.

The symposium will consist of an evening dinner event on Monday, November 5th, 2018, where Dr. James Metz, Chair of Radiation Oncology from the University of Pennsylvania will be delivering a keynote presentation on "Why Protons?". Following an introduction to CCO"s out-of-country referral program, a patient family will be sharing their experiences on receiving proton therapy outside of Canada. Subsequently, there will be a daytime scientific session on Tuesday November 6th, 2018, where international and national experts will present a background primer on the physics of proton therapy, discuss clinical indications and cost-effectiveness of proton therapy. In addition, experts will share their experience in integrating academic approaches into clinical practice, new centre commissioning and present opportunities for leadership, research and collaboration. In the afternoon, there will be a discussion regarding patterns of practice for proton therapy across Canada, an interactive panel on a province-wide approach to proton therapy, as well as a seminar on the practical aspects of referring patients through CCO"s Out-of-Country program. Both physicians and patients will benefit from learning about clinical indications and common practices, as well as the practical hands-on advice on accessing proton therapy through the out-of-country program.

This symposium is hosted in collaboration with the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre - Radiation Medicine Program (RMP), Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO).

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.radonc.utoronto.ca/vision-proton-therapy-ontario