The OncoDaily Medical Journal is launching a Special Series dedicated to “Radiation Oncology in 2026.” This initiative aims to provide radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, radiobiologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, nurses, researchers, public health leaders, and policy experts with a focused platform to examine the rapidly evolving role of radiotherapy across cancer prevention, treatment, palliation, survivorship, and global cancer control.

The Special Series is directed by Hathal Haddad, MD, Senior Consultant of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology and Head of the Interventional Radiotherapy Unit, University Hospital of Tübingen and Medical University, Germany and Layth Mula-Hussain, MD, MB ChB, MSc, EF, FRCP Edin, Assistant Professor in Radiation Oncology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Attending Physician in Radiation Oncology at The BC Cancer Agency”, Canada. Accepted manuscripts will be fast-tracked for publication and prominently featured as part of this international scholarly effort.

Radiation Oncology in 2026

Radiotherapy remains an essential component of comprehensive cancer care, contributing to cure, disease control, symptom relief, and improved quality of life across numerous cancer types. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that approximately 50%–70% of patients with cancer require radiotherapy at some point during their treatment. However, access remains deeply unequal, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where infrastructure shortages, workforce limitations, geographical barriers, and treatment costs continue to prevent many patients from receiving timely and effective care.

In 2026, radiation oncology is increasingly defined by precision, personalization, integration, and adaptability. Advances in image guidance, stereotactic radiotherapy, online adaptive radiotherapy, magnetic resonance-guided treatment, particle therapy, brachytherapy, motion management, radiomics, artificial intelligence, and biological treatment planning are reshaping how radiation is prescribed and delivered.

Modern radiotherapy is no longer guided only by anatomical location, tumor size, and conventional dose–fractionation schedules. Treatment decisions increasingly incorporate molecular characteristics, functional imaging, tumor biology, radiosensitivity, immune response, normal tissue risk, previous treatments, comorbidities, patient-reported outcomes, and individual preferences.

Hypofractionation and stereotactic approaches are reducing the number of treatment visits required for selected patients while maintaining or improving clinical outcomes. Online adaptive radiotherapy allows treatment plans to be modified in response to daily anatomical changes. Artificial intelligence is supporting auto-segmentation, treatment planning, quality assurance, outcome prediction, workflow optimization, and clinical decision-making. At the same time, emerging approaches such as FLASH radiotherapy, spatially fractionated radiotherapy, biologically guided radiotherapy, and combined radiotherapy–immunotherapy strategies are opening new areas of clinical and translational investigation.

Technological innovation must nevertheless be accompanied by rigorous evidence, patient-centered implementation, ethical oversight, quality assurance, workforce development, and equitable access. The future of radiation oncology depends not only on whether increasingly sophisticated treatments can be developed, but also on whether they can be delivered safely, sustainably, and fairly across diverse healthcare environments.

The “Radiation Oncology in 2026” Special Series seeks to provide a comprehensive scholarly overview of contemporary radiation oncology across the full continuum of care—from treatment selection and planning to delivery, toxicity management, survivorship, palliation, implementation, and global access.

Focus Areas for Submissions

• Precision Radiotherapy and Personalized Treatment: Explores individualized radiation treatment based on tumor anatomy, molecular characteristics, radiobiology, functional imaging, radiosensitivity, normal tissue risk, comorbidities, and patient preferences. Submissions may address predictive biomarkers, genomic signatures, radiomics, dose painting, biological treatment planning, and models for selecting patients most likely to benefit from radiotherapy.
• Image-Guided and Adaptive Radiotherapy: Examines advances in image-guided radiotherapy, online and offline adaptive treatment, cone-beam CT-guided adaptation, magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy, synthetic CT, deformable image registration, auto-contouring, and real-time treatment modification. Particular attention is encouraged on clinical workflows, patient selection, quality assurance, resource requirements, and evidence of improved outcomes or reduced toxicity.
• Stereotactic Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery: Focuses on stereotactic body radiotherapy, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and hypofractionated treatment across primary and metastatic cancers. Submissions may address oligometastatic and oligoprogressive disease, brain metastases, spinal metastases, reirradiation, motion management, dose and fractionation, patient selection, and integration with systemic therapies.
• Brachytherapy and Interventional Radiation Oncology: Explores contemporary brachytherapy and interventional radiotherapy in gynecological, prostate, breast, skin, head and neck, ocular, and other cancers. Submissions may address image-guided brachytherapy, applicator development, interstitial techniques, high-dose-rate and low-dose-rate treatment, focal therapy, training, quality assurance, access, and strategies for reversing the global decline in brachytherapy utilization.
• Particle Therapy and Advanced Treatment Technologies: Examines proton therapy, carbon-ion therapy, heavy-ion treatment, neutron therapy, and other advanced modalities. Relevant topics include comparative effectiveness, patient selection, pediatric indications, treatment of rare or radioresistant tumors, cost-effectiveness, infrastructure requirements, clinical evidence, and equitable allocation of limited treatment capacity.
• Emerging Radiation Modalities and Radiobiology: Focuses on FLASH radiotherapy, spatially fractionated radiotherapy, microbeam approaches, lattice radiotherapy, ultrahigh-dose-rate delivery, biologically guided radiotherapy, theranostics, and other emerging technologies. Submissions should address radiobiological mechanisms, dosimetry, safety, translational evidence, clinical readiness, and the challenges involved in moving experimental approaches into routine care.
• Radiotherapy and Systemic Treatment Integration: Explores the combination and sequencing of radiotherapy with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, antibody-drug conjugates, endocrine therapy, radiopharmaceuticals, and novel systemic agents. Submissions may examine synergistic effects, immune modulation, radiosensitization, toxicity, optimal timing, biomarkers, resistance, and multidisciplinary treatment selection.
• Site-Specific Radiation Oncology: Addresses advances in radiotherapy for central nervous system, head and neck, thoracic, breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynecological, hematological, pediatric, sarcoma, skin, and rare cancers. Manuscripts may focus on contemporary indications, dose and fractionation, organ preservation, multidisciplinary treatment, toxicity reduction, reirradiation, or changing standards of care.
• Reirradiation and Complex Clinical Scenarios: Examines repeat radiation treatment, cumulative dose assessment, normal tissue recovery, treatment planning, toxicity prediction, patient selection, and shared decision-making. Submissions addressing reirradiation of the brain, head and neck, thorax, pelvis, spine, or oligoprogressive disease are particularly welcomed.
• Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Data Science: Explores the use of artificial intelligence in imaging, segmentation, treatment planning, dose prediction, quality assurance, adaptive workflows, toxicity prediction, clinical decision support, workflow management, and outcome assessment. Submissions should consider external validation, explainability, bias, governance, patient safety, data protection, and real-world clinical implementation.
• Medical Physics, Dosimetry and Quality Assurance: Focuses on treatment planning, dose calculation, commissioning, machine learning-assisted quality assurance, in vivo dosimetry, small-field dosimetry, motion management, equipment performance, incident learning, standardization, and safety culture. Studies proposing scalable quality assurance models for resource-constrained settings are strongly encouraged.
• Radiation Toxicity and Normal Tissue Protection: Examines the prevention, prediction, assessment, and management of acute and late radiation effects. Topics may include cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, neurological, endocrine, cognitive, sexual, reproductive, and musculoskeletal toxicity, as well as secondary malignancies, radioprotective strategies, dose constraints, and normal tissue complication probability models.
• Supportive Care, Palliative Radiotherapy and Symptom Management: Addresses the use of radiotherapy to manage pain, bleeding, neurological symptoms, airway obstruction, spinal cord compression, brain metastases, and other complications of advanced cancer. Submissions may examine single-fraction treatment, rapid-access palliative radiotherapy, patient selection, integration with palliative care, symptom outcomes, and treatment models that reduce unnecessary burden on patients and families.
• Patient-Centered Care and Shared Decision-Making: Explores communication, informed consent, patient education, treatment preferences, patient-reported outcomes, psychosocial needs, health literacy, cultural considerations, and shared decision-making in radiation oncology. Research addressing the patient experience during simulation, immobilization, treatment delivery, follow-up, and survivorship is welcomed.
• Survivorship and Long-Term Outcomes: Focuses on the physical, psychological, social, sexual, cognitive, and financial consequences of radiotherapy. Submissions may examine late effects, rehabilitation, fear of recurrence, return to work, fertility, secondary cancer risk, long-term monitoring, and survivorship models for adults, adolescents, young adults, and childhood cancer survivors.
• Ethics in Radiation Oncology: Examines ethical challenges associated with patient selection, treatment prioritization, informed consent, reirradiation, advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, incidental findings, end-of-life treatment, conflicts of interest, and allocation of limited resources. Manuscripts on ethics-guided radiation therapy and culturally responsive decision-making are particularly encouraged.
• Global Radiation Oncology, Equity and Access: Explores disparities in radiotherapy availability, geographic access, treatment waiting times, infrastructure, equipment, maintenance, workforce capacity, education, and financing. Submissions may examine scalable models for expanding safe radiotherapy services in low- and middle-income countries, rural areas, conflict-affected settings, and other underserved communities.
• Radiation Oncology in Humanitarian Crises and Conflict Settings: Addresses continuity of radiotherapy during war, displacement, natural disasters, equipment failure, cyberattacks, public health emergencies, and other disruptions. Manuscripts may examine ethical prioritization, treatment transfer, abbreviated regimens, cross-border collaboration, emergency planning, and resilient radiation oncology systems.
• Education, Training and Workforce Development: Focuses on education and competency development for radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, nurses, and other professionals. Relevant topics include simulation-based education, digital learning, mentorship, multidisciplinary training, certification, workforce retention, international partnerships, and education in resource-limited settings.
• Policy, Economics and Health System Strengthening: Analyzes national radiotherapy strategies, technology assessment, equipment procurement, reimbursement, cost-effectiveness, workforce planning, treatment waiting times, regulatory systems, quality standards, and integration of radiation oncology into national cancer control plans. Implementation research tailored to resource-constrained healthcare systems is strongly welcomed.
• Sustainable and Environmentally Responsible Radiation Oncology: Explores the environmental impact of radiation oncology, including energy use, equipment life cycles, supply chains, patient travel, waste, treatment fractionation, and climate resilience. Submissions may propose practical approaches to reducing environmental impact without compromising treatment quality, safety, or equity.
  Clarified Criteria for Evaluation

Manuscripts will be evaluated based on:

• Innovation – Novel technologies, treatment approaches, clinical strategies, radiobiological insights, educational models, or conceptual frameworks that advance radiation oncology.
• Clinical Relevance – Clear implications for treatment selection, planning, delivery, toxicity reduction, symptom control, survivorship, or patient outcomes.
• Scientific and Technical Quality – Appropriate methodology, transparent reporting, robust analysis, and adequate validation of clinical, technological, or computational findings.
• Feasibility and Implementation – Consideration of how proposed innovations can be integrated into real-world radiation oncology workflows.
• Patient Safety and Quality Assurance – Attention to safe treatment delivery, risk management, dosimetric accuracy, clinical governance, and continuous quality improvement.
• Regional Applicability – Relevance and potential for adaptation across different healthcare systems, including rural, underserved, and resource-limited environments.
• Impact on Practice or Policy – Demonstrated or potential implications for clinical guidelines, professional education, resource allocation, service organization, or national cancer control.
• Ethics, Equity and Global Perspective – Consideration of ethical challenges and disparities in access to technology, expertise, treatment, clinical trials, supportive care, and survivorship services.

Author Guidelines

Authors submitting to the “Radiation Oncology in 2026” Special Series are encouraged to:

• Examine how clinical, anatomical, biological, technological, demographic, and socioeconomic factors influence radiotherapy selection, planning, delivery, toxicity, and outcomes.
• Present research that connects technological innovation with meaningful improvements in survival, local control, toxicity, quality of life, patient experience, or healthcare efficiency.
• Provide original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trial updates, real-world evidence, technical evaluations, implementation studies, educational research, ethical analyses, or policy perspectives.
• Clearly describe treatment techniques, dose and fractionation schedules, planning parameters, quality assurance procedures, and relevant patient selection criteria.
• Address validation, safety, workflow requirements, professional competencies, cost, and scalability when evaluating artificial intelligence or advanced radiation technologies.
• Explore implementation of evidence-based radiotherapy interventions in underserved, rural, conflict-affected, and resource-limited populations.
• Highlight scalable approaches to hypofractionation, stereotactic treatment, brachytherapy, adaptive radiotherapy, palliative radiotherapy, workforce development, and quality assurance.
• Include patient-reported outcomes, quality-of-life measures, shared decision-making, or survivorship outcomes whenever relevant.
• Consider how advances in radiation oncology can be translated into measurable and equitable improvements for patients across high-income, middle-income, and low-income settings.

Submission deadline: March 31, 2027

The Special Series will accept Original Research articles and Reviews, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. More information about submission requirements and formatting guidelines can be found on our website.