The Radiation Oncology Teaching Unit is provided by the Radiation Oncology Department, with the involvement of Haematology, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Radiology, Radiophysics, A&E, and Palliative Care. In Radiation Oncology we attend to patients at the hospital and in the Vall d’Hebron healthcare area of influence, but we are also active in other parts of the country as we are a leading centre for several complex diseases.

We offer a training programme in radiation oncology that includes learning in research. This means taking part in multidisciplinary committees that analyse different pathologies and generate hypotheses for future research projects. Residents integrate into a line of research when they join the programme, assisted by a consultant. 

We are part of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). We  actively participate in different national and international research groups, such as the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), and the Radiation Oncology Clinical Research Group (GICOR).

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because the training we offer is some of the best, thanks to the exceptional environment in which it takes place. During your training, you will have the chance to carry out rotations in leading hospital departments, such as Medical Oncology, a department at the forefront of translational research and clinical trails, Internal Medicine and Radiodiagnosis.
• Because during your training you will be able to take part in highly complex treatments, such as radiosurgery, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, extracranial radiosurgery, image-guided treatments, total body irridation, and treatments combined with latest generation drugs that would be hard to find in other centres in Catalonia.
• Because the department has some of the highest admissions figures in Spain, enabling you to acquire experience in different areas of knowledge.
• Because we have the most advanced technology to be able to provide highly complex treatments. As a centre, we carry out the greatest number of intensity-modulated radiation therapy treatments for genitourinary disease, head and neck tumours and breast neoplasms in Catalonia. We have regularly incorporated advanced technology, such as extracranial radiosurgery for lung cancer, and tightly-focused treatments that can be delivered much faster, such as RapidArc technology.
• Because we have pioneered the establishment of internal control commissions and the development of protocols for controlled image-guided treatments; proof of our vocation to care quality and safety.
• Because we are a young and dynamic group and a member of several national and international scientific associations, whilst also actively participating in research and teaching activities.
• Because, in parallel, you can acquire basic oncological knowledge from the Radiation Oncology International Master's programme, a distance learning course accredited by Francisco de Vitòria University.
• Because in the final year of your residency you have the option to choose an external rotation in a hospital abroad to deepen your knowledge. This is a chance to learn how a large European or North American oncology centre works in a specific oncological context.
• Extensive technological endowment, with 4 linear accelerators that provide state-of-the-art treatments to a large number of patients, with routine performance of complex stereotactic techniques such as SBRT and SRS (radiosurgery), in addition to new procedures such as radioablation of cardiac arrhythmias and TBI (total irradiation) with modulated intensity technique.
• Because we value teamwork and having a good working environment, fostering a good relationship between all members of the service to enhance both the professional and human development of the resident.
• Attendance at accredited national and international training courses in the field of radiotherapy (radiobiology, imaging, pediatric oncology…) is encouraged and facilitated throughout all years of residency, as well as conferences and other training activities.

The core of this teaching unit is provided by the Medical Oncology Department, with participation from Haematology, Internal Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Pathological Anatomy, Infectious Diseases and Palliative Care, the Intensive Care Unit and the A&E Department. The Unit can accommodate three residents per year. Residents’ training in Medical Oncology takes five years in total. The two first years are spent on core training, with the following three years dedicated specifically to specialisation.

Residents in medical oncology are expected to have in-depth knowledge of preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic choices for cancer. For this reason it is important that they continuously update their knowledge of cancer biology. To this end, they must take part in research projects that promote excellence in research. They will also have the opportunity to become familiar with the main lines of research in the Department and to take part in some of them. Over the course of training, residents learn to have a critical and open approach to the high volume of clinical studies and advances in the specialisation, whilst always keeping ethical considerations at the forefront of their work.

Why do your residency at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because you will be working in a friendly and professional environment where you will learn to manage relationships with patients, families and colleagues, and to apply the ethical principles that govern clinical practice, teaching and research.
• Because team work and education is encouraged in our unit.
• Because we encourage residents to improve their English as it is the official language of the medical sciences.
• Because we encourage you to take part in each of the rotation areas, in all of the specialists’ day to day activities; aspects relating to patient care and those related to training, research and clinical management.
• Because you will train in the right surroundings and throughout your training will be supported and supervised by senior residents and consultants.
• Because we promote active participation in national and international congresses of the specialisation and the presentation of papers and posters.