The 63rd Annual Conference of the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group (PTCOG 63) marked a major milestone as the first PTCOG event ever held in Latin America. Hosted in vibrant Buenos Aires, Argentina, from June 2–7, 2025, the event welcomed over 850 participants from 41 countries, underscoring its growing global reach. The top represented nations included the USA, Argentina, Italy, and Germany.
This year’s scientific momentum was exceptional, with over 650 abstracts submitted across the core disciplines of clinics, physics, and biology. The conference spotlighted nearly 200 oral presentations. In addition, over 240 posters were presented – enhancing visibility for a wide range of cutting-edge research.
Ten plenary sessions served as intellectual cornerstones, featuring high-level discussions on new data, technological innovation, adaptive therapy, advancing CAR-T therapy, FLASH and BNCT advancements, and immunotherapy synergy. These sessions reflected not just the sophistication of the field, but its accelerating pace and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Among the many groundbreaking presentations in the scientific session, organized some key highlights included:
- Head & Neck Cancer: Randomized trial demonstrating reduced toxicity and improved survival with protons (Steven Frank).
- SACRO Trial: Randomized trial showing particle therapy’s equivalence to surgery for sacral chordoma (Piero Fossati).
- Emerging Technologies already in clinics: Upright positioning, arc therapy, FLASH, and SFRT(Hesham Gayar, Lennart Volz, John Perentesis, Yolanda Prezado).
- Even more innovative technologies: MRI-integrated proton therapy (Marisa Cobanaj, Young Investigator Award) and radioactive ion beams for real-time PET imaging (Daria Boscolo).
- Potential breakthrough from biology: CAR-T cells combined with FLASH radiotherapy (Yi Fan).
Adding to the excitement, PTCOG 63 participants were invited to vote on the organization’s new logo, shaping the visual identity of PTCOG for the future.
As the first PTCOG held on South American soil, PTCOG 63 also celebrated the regional progress in particle therapy, with local voices like Dr. Gustavo Santa Cruz and representatives from CNEA and the City of Buenos Aires helping set the tone. The energy throughout the week echoed the passion of a community determined to bring the benefits of particle therapy to more patients around the globe.
The momentum continues next year at PTCOG 64, taking place in the picturesque city of Deauville, France, from June 8–13, 2026. We look forward to seeing you there for another inspiring chapter in the evolution of particle therapy!
