The 63rd Annual Conference of the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group (PTCOG 63) took place from June 2 to 7, 2025, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. PTCOG is a global organisation advancing particle therapy for cancer through research and collaboration, uniting experts at its annual meeting.
In recent years, Dr. Ankita Nachankar, a radiation oncologist by profession working as postdoctoral researcher at ACMIT and EBG MedAustron, and ACMIT’s collaborator, teamled by Prof. Piero Fossati have focused on optimizing LET in carbon ion therapy to enhance tumour control and reduce toxicities across different tumour sites. At PTCOG this year, Dr. Ankita Nachankar and colleagues delivered two oral presentations on scientific work in this field.
1.LETd optimization and multi-RBE model optimization in tumors treated with Carbon-Ion Therapy: Clinical study Protocol at MedAustron
Ankita Nachankar, Mansure Schafasand, Eugen Hug, Antonio Carlino, Markus Stock, Piero Fossati
This study presents our first clinical experience using LETd optimization for pelvic sarcomas and chordomas, with promising early results. Notably, tumors treated with LETd optimization showed significantly better regression trends compared to volume-matched historical controls, indicating potential clinical benefits.
2.LETd and multi-RBE model dose evaluation in non-squamous cell head and neck cancers treated with Carbon-Ion Therapy
Ankita Nachankar, Luciana Di Cristina, Mansure Schafasand, Eugen Hug, Antonio Carlino, Markus Stock, Piero Fossati
This second study assessed the impact of LETd and multi-RBE model dose distributions in predicting local relapses for non-squamous head and neck cancers treated with carbon-ion therapy.
Prof. Piero Fossati and the international SACRO Trial team received the PTCOG 2025 Michael Goitein Clinical Award for their outstanding work in SACRO study, which compared carbon ion therapy versus surgery for sacral chordoma across 18 centres in 6 countries. This landmark work was led by Prof. Piero Fossati (EBG MedAustron), ACMIT’s long-term collaborator, with contributions from Dr. Ankita Nachankar as a co-author.
PTCOG 2025 Michael Goitein Award: SACRO study: A Randomized & Observational study on surgery versus definitive radiation therapy in primary localized disease (SACRO) (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02986516)
P. Fossati, A. Nachankar, E. Hug, S. M. Stock, Radaelli, M.R. Fiore, M.G. Petrongari, A. Gasbarrini, Ø.S. Bruland, P. Sancho, J. Hardes, S. Scheipl, B. Timmermann, T. Akiyama, V. Quagliuolo, D.M. Donati, L. Andreani, J.M. Asencio, R. Verges Capdevila, V. Appolloni, R . Miceli, D. Salvatore, G. Iganazzi, S. Stacchiotti, A. Gronchi
The third interim analysis of SACRO trial (median follow-up: 36 months) revealed that carbon ion therapy achieved comparable relapse-free survival, overall survival, and distant metastasis rates to surgery—despite treating patients with more challenging tumour characteristics. This milestone demonstrates carbon ion therapy’s dual advantage: matching surgical efficacy in this setting while maintaining its acceptable safety profile.
ACMIT congratulates on this outstanding achievement!
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