B-ROG

On June 21, 2021, prof. dr. Dirk Van Gestel and prof. dr. Jean-François Daisne proposed to a core group of Belgian academic radiation oncologists to start up a Belgian research platform called the Belgian Radiation Oncology Group (B-ROG) and devoted to the promotion, the development and the coordination of the Belgian (academic) research in radiation oncology. This initiative was unanimously accepted. The aim is not to replace the already existing (and often larger) structures like EORTC but rather to aim at complementing them in Belgian peculiarities of the academic landscape. It also does not aim to concentrate academic research in the solely academic departments but rather to foster it in all Belgian radiation oncology departments willing to develop a patient-centric, non-industry driven research of quality in Belgium.

Vision and mission

As a scientific organisation of radiation oncology in Belgium representing radiation oncologists, radiation oncologists in training, radiation physicists, radiobiologists, biomedici and radiation therapists, BeSTRO fosters all initiatives that improve the scientific knowledge about radiation oncology.
The mission of the B-ROG is to unite the driving forces who wish to advance medical research in onco-radiotherapy by developing open clinical research protocols in as many Belgian centers as possible to guarantee accessibility to the greatest number of patients. These protocols are oriented towards answering fundamental radiotherapy questions centered on the needs of patients and not supported by the pharmaceutical industry.

How B-ROG works

B-ROG is open to any professional active in the Belgian radiation oncology willing to design and/or open clinical studies in radiation oncology. The core group is constituted of the 2 co-founders and the co-chairs of the working groups. They have 3-monthly meetings to inform about the different working groups running activities and to discuss and stimulate new initiatives. As such, The core group validates the new working groups.
The different working groups concentrate on a group of pathologies of similar nature (see hereunder). Each working group is headed by 2 (co-)chairs who coordinate the meetings and the different specific projects. Each member of the workgroups has the right to propose a new protocol to be developed and opened under the umbrella of the B-ROG.
All members of the core group and of the different working groups must sign a personal Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that guarantees the necessary discretion and the intellectual ownership of the developed protocols.