IASIOS at IRSA 2023

July 21, 2023

IRSA, the meeting of the Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia, took place in Sydney, Australia, from June 27-29 under the title “Clinical Interventional Radiology, the Nexus of Art and Science.”

The Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia hosts the IRSA Annual Scientific Meeting yearly. It is a three-day intercontinental congress with a scientific programme that includes an outstanding faculty, including three invited international keynote speakers and a mix of local speakers. One of the three invited keynote speakers was IASIOS Steering Board member and former CIRSE president, Prof. Afshin Gangi, who gave multiple speeches on interventional oncology procedures. The engaging and compelling programme attracted substantial attendance not only from Australia and New Zealand but also from the broader Asia-Pacific region.

A dedicated “IASIOS & Q&A” session took place on the first day of the meeting, featuring three presentations and allowing an opportunity for delegates to gain more information about IO, quality assurance in IO and IASIOS’s role in IO.

Panel discussion following the IASIOS session at IRSA.

The “IASIOS & Q&A” sessions were conducted by esteemed IASIOS Steering Board and Council members who shed light on the importance of quality assurance in interventional oncology and discussed how implementing IASIOS standards can have a profound positive impact on facilities.

Prof. Andreas Adam, the chairperson of the IASIOS Steering Board, gave a speech entitled “IO How to Make it a Mainstream Interdisciplinary Cancer Care”, where he explained the importance of interventional oncology and its place alongside other cancer treatments. He spoke on the importance of taking IO from a niche option to an established mainstay in cancer care, and it’s acceptance in multidisciplinary collaboration.

Another representative of the IASIOS Steering Board, Prof. Lizbeth Kenny, gave a lecture called “QA /Lessons from RO and creation of the Standards of Practice in IO”, where she explained the creation of the Standards of Quality Assurance in Interventional Oncology, which is the framework for the gold standards of IO services that IASIOS uses in the accreditation process.

One of the IASIOS Council members, Dr. Nick Brown, gave a talk called “How IASIOS works and what it can do for your practice?” where he spoke about the crucial role IASIOS plays when it comes to bettering your IO services.

Dr. Brown specialises in IR and IO at the first IASIOS Accredited centre in Australia, I-MED Radiology at the Wesley Hospital in Auchenflower.

IASIOS Steering Board and Council members with other international attendees at IRSA.

Prof. Afshin Gangi with IRSA members.

The dedicated IASIOS session was followed by an open discussion with a lot of interest from the audience, who had questions about the IASIOS accreditation programme, its requirements, and the standards that should be met by the facility during the accreditation process.

The attending IASIOS Steering Board members were invited present in scientific sessions in addition. Prof. Afshin Gangi shared his knowledge and experience on interventional oncology procedures in talks called “Multimodal CT Combined Procedures”, “MRI Guided Intervention”, “Lymph Node Ablation” and “Cryo Endometriosis”. Prof. Andreas Adam also spoke in a scientific session called “Beyond Horizons,” giving a talk entitled “Beyond needles and images.”

On June 27 and 29, IASIOS hosted two exclusive AMA (ask me anything) sessions. These sessions highlighted the importance of quality assurance in IO, explained how IASIOS can help facilities reach the best care for their cancer patients, and clarified how IASIOS can help enhance a facility’s IO practices and provide invaluable insights from some of the very best in the field of IO.

The IASIOS AMA sessions were organized by the chief operating officer of IASIOS, Mardis Sara Karlsdottir, together with IASIOS Steering Board and Council members. The IASIOS team was on hand following the presentation to answer any questions participants had about the accreditation process and how it can benefit their facility’s interventional oncology services. It was an opportunity to interact, learn and gain insights from fellow IOs who have already undergone the IASIOS accreditation process.

CIRSE warmly thanks IRSA for the invitation to participate and share IASIOS at IRSA 2023!