Princess Maxima Center Designated as IAEA Collaborating Centre in Paediatric Oncology

The IAEA has designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology as a Collaborating Centre to strengthen childhood cancer care worldwide.

With the presence of Her Majesty Queen Máxima, the IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signed today in Utrecht, The Netherlands, a new partnership agreement with Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology to strengthen practical knowledge on the use of radiotherapy for treating children with cancer.

"It is our mission to reduce the big disparities in radiotherapy for children around the world; knowledge and training are a key part of that," said Mr. Grossi. "I am very pleased that paediatric radiotherapy teams will be able to take what they have learned at the Princess Máxima Center back to colleagues in their home countries, and ultimately to the children and families who count on them."

The designation will advance education, training and quality assurance in paediatric radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition, supporting the IAEA's Human Health Programme and its Rays of Hope initiative. The IAEA will work closely with the Center in improving radiotherapy treatment for children with cancer.

Prof. Dr. Rob Pieters, Chief Máxima International at the Princess Máxima Center said "We are grateful to the IAEA for giving us the opportunity to provide radiotherapy oncologists the training that will help them treat children in their own countries more safely and effectively. In addition, it enables us to further advance our knowledge of childhood cancer by working more closely with hospitals in these regions. In this way, it substantially contributes to our center's mission which is shared by pediatric oncologists worldwide: curing every child with cancer, with the best possible quality of life. Everywhere."