4th - 6th September, 2026
Venue - Taj Fisherman's Cove Resort & Spa, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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6th Annual Conference of

PARTICLE THERAPY CO-OPERATIVE GROUP - ASIA-OCEANIA

Theme: "Empowering Access to Particle Therapy through Research, Education and Collaboration"

6th Annual Conference of

PARTICLE THERAPY CO-OPERATIVE GROUP - ASIA-OCEANIA

Scientific Programme

PTCOG-AO 2026

Theme: Empowering access to Particle Therapy through Research, Education and Collaboration
September 4–6, 2026
Taj Fisherman’s Cove Resort and Spa
Chennai, India

Scientific Programme

Day 1 · Friday, 4 September 2026

Educational Day
Timings Event
08:00–09:00 Registration & Welcome Coffee
09:00–10:30
Session 1 (Education) — Hall AParticle therapy Physics: Fundamentals to Clinical implementation
Moderators: Taku Inaniwa + S D Sharma + P Aruna + Shankar Vangipuram   ·   Format: 30 min each
Physics of Charged Particle TherapySpeaker: Hsiao-Ming Lu
Clinical Commissioning of Particle Therapy Systems: Principles, Challenges, and Best PracticesSpeaker: Sung Yong Park
Managing Uncertainties in Particle Therapy: Challenges, Strategies, and Clinical ImplicationsSpeaker: Young-Yih Han
10:30–11:40
Session 2 (Education) — Hall ARadiobiological Optimization in Particle Therapy
Moderators: Mahadev P + M. Ravi Kumar + Anil Bansal + K.R.Muralidhar   ·   Format: 15 min each
Carbon Ion Radiotherapy: Present Practice, Future PrecisionSpeaker: Eugen Hug
DNA Damage Complexity and Repair Following High-LET RadiationSpeaker: Nagesh Bhat
Clinical Implications of LET and Variable RBE in Proton and Carbon Ion TherapySpeaker: Napapat Amornwichet
LET-Guided and Biology-Driven Optimization in Particle Therapy: Methods and Quantitative Evaluation FrameworksSpeaker: Taku Inaniwa
11:40–12:00 Coffee Break
12:00–13:00
Session 3 — Hall ASetting the Stage: Main Conference Begins
What should be the focus of future research in Particle Therapy?
Moderators: Eugen Hug, Hsiao Ming Lu, Probal Chaudhury, Tony Wong   ·   Format: 12 min each + 12 min wrap-up
1. Footprint and delivery systemsSpeaker: Rock Mackie
2. Workflow Automation, Adaptation and AI/ML IntegrationSpeaker: Francesca Albertini
3. Understanding the biology of tumour, microenvironment & of particlesSpeaker: Marco Durante
4. Generating evidence for Particle Therapy — Smarter TrialsSpeaker: Siddhartha Laskar
Concluding Remarks / Q&A Session (12 minutes)
13:00–14:00 Lunch
14:00–15:30
Session 4a — Hall AMasterclass
Range Uncertainties
Moderators: T Ganesh, Rajesh Thiyagarajan, Lalit Chaudhari, Bharanidharan   ·   Format: 22 min
Reducing Range Uncertainty: Emerging imaging modalities and Strategies in SPR Calibration (DECT, Synthetic CT, Synthetic MRI)Faculty: Tsi-Chian Chao
Managing Non-Biological High-Density Materials in Particle Therapy: Challenges and SolutionsFaculty: Donhgho Shin
Motion and Interplay Management (4D planning, repainting, gating, tracking, adaptive strategies)Faculty: Naoki Miyamoto
In-vivo range verification (PET, prompt gamma, ionoacoustics)Faculty: Taeko Matsuura
Session 4b — Hall BMasterclass
Hypofractionation in Particle Therapy: Breast
Moderators: Rathna Devi, Vineeta Goel, Sayan Paul, Saikat Das
Proton Therapy for Breast Cancer: An opportunity for recalibration of organ-at-risk goals (20 min)Speaker: Qing Zhang
Hypofractionated proton therapy for breast cancer: Identifying patients who benefit the most (20 min)Speaker: Amy Chang
Proton beam therapy for Breast Cancers in India: Learnings from the last 7 yearsSpeaker: Sapna Nangia
Panel discussion: Addressing challenges in PBT for breast cancer (30 min)Moderator: Nagarjuna Burela
Participants: Amy Chang, Qing Zhang, George Chiu, Tabassum Wadasadawala
15:30–15:50 Coffee Break & Networking
15:50–18:00
Session 5a — Hall AMasterclass
Evolving QA Paradigms and Workflow Efficiency
Moderators: Archana Sharma, Ghanshyam Sahani, Vijay Prabhu, Malhotra Heigrujam   ·   Format: 20 min
Session 5b — Hall BMasterclass
Hypofractionation in Particle Therapy: Prostate
Moderators: Nilesh Mahale, Satish Padmanabhan, Shilpa Reddy   ·   Format: 20 min
15:50–17:20
Evolving machine QA Paradigms in Proton and Carbon Ion Therapy systemsFaculty: Wen Chien Hsi (20 min)
Evolving PSQA Paradigms for Proton and Carbon Ion TherapyFaculty: Ganapathy K (20 min)
QA strategies for online and offline adaptive proton therapyFaculty: Tan Hong Qi (20 min)
Educational Debate: Machine and PSQA Measurement-Based vs. Log-File and ML-Driven PSQA in IMPT/IMCT — Are We Ready to Go Fully Digital?Faculty: all the above speakers + 2 more. Moderator: Tony Wong (30 min)
Summary of clinical evidence on Proton therapy for prostate cancerFaculty: Arun Goel (20 min)
Hypofractionation in Prostate cancers: Few fractions, bigger impact — Indian ExperienceFaculty: Srinivas Chilukuri (20 min)
Protons for Prostate Cancer: Where do we go from here?Faculty: Vedang Murthy (20 min)
Panel discussion: Nuances of treatment planning in Prostate PBT (20 min)Moderator: Sham Sundar
Participants: Michael Wang, Vedang Murthy, Arun Goel, Vysakh Raveendran, Manikandan Arjunan
Discussion: 10 min
17:30–18:15 Elekta One Satellite Symposium- Hall B/C
18:30–20:30 Welcome Reception & Poster Viewing

Programme details are subject to change.

Scientific Programme

Day 2 · Saturday, 5 September 2026

Scientific Session Day — Main Conference
Timings Event
06:00–07:30 Sunrise Yoga by the Beach
Session 6: Physics (Hall A)   ·   Clinical (Hall B)   ·   Oral Presentations (Hall C)
08:30–09:50
Session 6a — Hall AAdvancement in Treatment Planning and Optimization
Moderators: Saji Oommen, Sowmya Narayanan, Kartikeswar Patro   ·   Format: 20 mins
Temporally Modulated, Pulse Proton Radiotherapy: Overview and Technical ConsiderationsFaculty: Alonso Gutirrez
Advances in Proton Arc Therapy: Physics, Optimization, and Clinical PotentialFaculty: Ding X
4D and Motion-Robust Planning Strategies for Scanned Charged Particle TherapyFaculty: Seishin Takao
Beyond Constant RBE: LETd-optimized intensity modulated proton arc therapyFaculty: Suresh Rana
Session 6b — Hall BThoracic & GI Malignancies
Moderators: Shagun Mishra, Kinjal Jani, Kanika Sood, Anand Narayanan   ·   Format: 20 mins
Proton Therapy for NSCLC in the Era of ImmunotherapySpeaker: Yongling Ji
Particle Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer: Defining the Role Across Resectable, Borderline, and Locally Advanced DiseaseSpeaker: Ji Zhu
Proton SBRT for HCC: Can Fewer Fractions Make More Sense?Speaker: Kanokphorn Thonglert
Beyond Pancreas & Liver: New-age (or emerging) Indications for Proton Therapy in GI MalignanciesSpeaker: Ashu Abhishek
08:30–09:50
Session 6C: Oral Presentations (Physics) — Hall C
Moderators: Biplap Sarkar S + Sudesh Deshpande + Saju Bhasi + Narendra Kumar   ·   Judges: TBD
5 competitive oral presentations and 5 competitive mini-oral presentations (60 min)Oral: 8 + 2 min   ·   Mini-oral: 4 + 1 min   ·   Q&A: 15 min
09:50–10:10 Coffee Break, Exhibition & Poster Sessions
Session 6D Poster Viewing Session: Physics
Poster Judges: Wei Jun Wang + 2 Med Phys
10:10–11:25
Plenary Session 1: Keynote Lectures (Hall A)
Moderators: Vijayanand Reddy, Shaleen Kumar, Tejinder Kataria, Manoj Semwal   ·   Format: 20 min each
Evidence of Physiological and Psychological Benefits of Upright RadiotherapyKeynote: Thomas Rock Mackie
The Global Particle Therapy Landscape in 2036: What Will It Look Like?Keynote: Anita Mahajan
DebateFormat: 10 min each, 15 min Discussion
Moderators: JP Agarwal, Sapna Nangia
What would change the lives of patients with head-neck cancers in the next decade?
Adaptive Radiotherapy (10 min)A K Anand
IMPT (10 min)Nancy Lee
Discussion: 15 min
11:25–11:55
Opening Ceremony (Hall A)
Welcome Addresses• PTCOG-AO President
• Local Organizing Chairs
Conference Overview & LogisticsOrganising team
12:00–13:00
6th Dr. Prathap C Reddy Annual Proton Oration (Hall A)
Chairs: Tsatsuya Ohno, Dayananda Sharma, Young Yih Han, Rakesh Jalali
Introducing the Orator: Rakesh Jalali
Orator: Marco DuranteTitle: TBD
Felicitation ceremony
13:00–14:00 Lunch
Session 7: Physics (Hall A)   ·   Clinical (Hall B)   ·   Oral Presentations (Hall C)
14:00–15:30
Session 7A — Hall AMotion Management in Particle Therapy
Moderators: Lalit Mohan Agrawal + Raghavendra Holla + A. Pichandi, + Madhusudhan Sresty   ·   Format: 20 min
Motion Monitoring Devices and Clinical Integration: which is most appropriate?Faculty: Min Cheol Han
AI and Predictive Motion Management for Scanned Charged Particle TherapyFaculty: TBD
QA, Safety, and Clinical Translation (End-to-end testing, workflow integration)Faculty: Manikandan A
Adaptive Strategies for Moving TargetsFaculty: Kimi Yang
Session 7B — Hall BHead-Neck Cancers
Moderators: Munish Gairola, Amal Roy Choudhary, Tanweer Shahid, Dodul Mondal   ·   Format: 20 min
Particle Therapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Reducing Toxicity Without Compromising CureSpeaker: Qingting Huang
Proton Therapy in Oropharyngeal Cancer: Balancing Cure, Function and SurvivorshipSpeaker: Nancy Lee
Proton Therapy for Oral Cavity Cancers: Optimising Treatment for Complex Anatomy, Large Volumes and FunctionSpeaker: Sapna Nangia
Re-irradiation in Head-Neck Cancers: Expanding the Therapeutic Window with Proton TherapySpeaker: Anuj Kumar
14:00–15:30
Parallel Session 7C: Oral Presentations — Clinical & Biology (Hall C)
Moderators: Pooja Nandwani Patel, Vikram Maiya, and Prahlad H. Yathiraj   ·   Judges: TBD
6 competitive oral presentations and 6 competitive mini-oral presentations (72 min)Oral: 8 min   ·   Mini-oral: 4 min   ·   Q&A: 18 min
15:30–16:00 Coffee Break, Exhibition & Poster Sessions
Session 7D: Poster Session (Clinical)
Judges:
16:00–17:50
Plenary Session 2: Global Perspectives on the Future of Particle Therapy (Hall A)
Moderators: Michael Wang, A K Rath, Simon Tang, V Srinivasan
Quick Updates in Particle Therapy world — What, when, where and how? (12 min each)
1. Adaptive particle therapy — what’s next?Speaker: Francesca Albertini
2. TBD
3. Biological modelling in particle therapy — how do we crack it?Speaker: Erik Traneus
4. Upright particle therapy: Where are we?Speaker: Neick Schreuder
Q & A: 12 min
Keynote LectureModerators: CS Madhu, Suman Bhasker, Prasad Dandekar
Health Economics of Particle Therapy: Value-Based Perspectives (15 min + 5)Speaker: Morten Hoyer
Panel Discussion: Shaping the future of particle therapy through industry-academia collaboration (25 min)Moderator: Rakesh Jalali (30 min)
Panelists: Eugen Hug, Rock Mackie, Hsaio Ming Lu, Francesca Albertini, Sergei Lamisse, Nagraj Huilgol, Ding X
17:50–18:30
IBA SymposiumPioneering Innovations in Proton Therapy
Moderator: Srinivas Chilukuri, Kausik Bhattacharya, Subramani V, Alonso Gutirrez
Proton FLASH: From Physical principles to Clinical Translation (15 min)Speaker: Jeffrey Free & Makbule Atasoyu
ProtonARC: From Technical Innovation to Clinical Implementation (15 min)Speaker: Jeffrey Free & Makbule Atasoyu
Discussion: 10 min
19:00–22:00 Conference Gala Dinner (By Invitation)
Musical Concert and dinner
Location: New beach lawn

Programme details are subject to change.

Scientific Programme

Day 3 · Sunday, 6 September 2026

Advanced Topics & Closing Session
Timings Event
05:45–08:00 Heritage Tour of Mahabalipuram
Session 8: Physics (Hall A)   ·   Clinical (Hall B)   ·   Oral Presentations (Hall C)
09:15–10:30
Session 8A — Hall APTCOG-AO Survey Results and New Centre Symposium
Moderators: Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, M. Revathy, Vijay Karan Reddy, Mallikarjuna A
PTCOG-AO Physics Survey ResultsSpeaker: Chankyu Kim (12 + 3 minutes)
New Centre SymposiumEach presentation: 13 + 2 minutes
TOPIC: TBD
1. Kazakhstan's National Research Oncology Center (NROC)Alua Kanatkyzy
2. Lynn Cancer Centre, BocaRaton, USASuresh Rana
3. Taipei Veterans General Hospital, TaiwanYi Ying Pan
4. Apollo Cancer Centre, HyderabadPrashant Upadhyay
Session 8B — Hall BPaediatric & CNS Tumours
Moderators: Rimpa Basu, Rajesh B, Vinay Ural
Proton Therapy in Neuro-Oncology: Designing the Next Generation of Clinical Trials (15 min)Speaker: Tejpal Gupta
Proton Craniospinal Irradiation: Indications, technique & Evidence (15 min)Speaker: Uday Krishna
Proton Therapy in Pediatric Extracranial Tumors: Current Evidence and Future Directions (15 min)Speaker: Anita Mahajan
Mechanistic Biomarkers of Radiation Neurotoxicity and impact of Particle therapy (15 mins)Speaker: Archya Dasgupta
15 min discussion
08:45–10:30
Session 8C: Oral Presentations (Hall C)
Moderators: Amit Jain, Madhu Sairam, Saurabha, C . S. Surekha   ·   Judges: TBD
7 oral presentations and 7 mini-oral presentations (105 min)Oral: 8 min   ·   Mini-oral: 4 min   ·   Q&A: 15 min
10:30–10:45 Coffee Break, Exhibition & Poster Sessions
Session 8D: Poster presentation
10:45–11:45
Session — Hall ABest paper session (Top 6 Abstracts-3 Clinical + 3 Physics)
Moderators/Judges: Joo young Kim, Taku Inaniwa
Discussion: 10 min
12:00–13:00
Closing & Awards Ceremony (Hall A)
Awards Ceremony• Best Oral, mini-oral, and poster awards (Physics, Biology and Clinical)
Conference Summary & Reflections (10 min)Scientific Committee Chair
Announcement of PTCOG-AO 2027 (10 min)Next host centre presentation
Closing Remarks (10 min)PTCOG-AO President
Conference Ends Thank you for your participation!
Facility Tour 13 September 2026 (Thursday Evening)
4:30 PM–6:00 PM
Facility Tour 26 September 2026 (Sunday Afternoon)
2:30 PM–4:00 PM

Programme details are subject to change.