2nd MESTRO Congress — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 2023

The 2nd Congress of the Middle East Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (MESTRO) — MESTRO2023 — was held at Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 9–11, 2023. The congress was chaired by Dr. Saad Alrashidi, President of MESTRO, Radiation Oncology Residency Programme Director, and Lead of Brachytherapy at Alfaisal University. The three-day scientific programme comprised 39 presentations spanning radiation oncology, medical physics, brachytherapy, adaptive radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and regional country updates — with faculty drawn from more than 15 countries across the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and North America. The scientific programme opened with regional country updates, providing a comprehensive picture of the state of radiation oncology services across the Middle East and beyond. Dr. Zainab Ibrahim (Bahrain) presented an update on radiation therapy in Bahrain. Dr. Zahid Al Mandhari presented on radiotherapy in Oman and, separately, on radiation status and demand in the UAE. Dr. Abdulrahman Bin Sumaida provided a further UAE update. Dr. Mohamed Riyas reported on radiation therapy in Qatar. Prof. Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi addressed radiation oncology status and service demands in Pakistan. Dr. Jamal Khader reported on radiation status and demand in Jordan. Dr. Nahswa Nazmy A Abdelkarim covered radiation oncology in Kuwait. Caroline Samaha Jabbour presented on radiation therapy in Lebanon. Hale Basak Caglar reported on radiation therapy in Turkey. Dr. Majed Alghamdi presented on the status of radiation oncology in Saudi Arabia. The brachytherapy programme was a particular strength of the congress. Dr. Jose Luis Guinot presented long-term results with custom-linked I-125 seeds and real-time brachytherapy. Dr. Saad Alrashidi presented a review of gynaecology treatment innovations from the King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) experience. Dr. Hathal Haddad addressed the integration of artificial intelligence in interstitial HDR brachytherapy. Dr. Nadeem Pervez presented a review of prostate treatment innovations. Adaptive radiotherapy featured prominently across the programme. Dr. Jean-Philippe Pignol (Canada) delivered two presentations: "The Beauty and the Beast of ART" — a critical appraisal of adaptive radiotherapy — and a caution note on breast cancer treatment de-escalation. Irakli Martashvili presented on surface guidance to improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of radiotherapy. Thierry Gevaert presented on ExacTrac Dynamic, covering applications from brain to motion management. Abid Ali presented on position reproducibility testing for MR isocentre using MRgRT simulation protocols. The medical physics programme was extensive. Dr. Ghada Aldosary addressed the role of medical physicists in advancing healthcare equity in the Middle East. Dr. Meshari Alnuaimi presented on medical physics in the Middle East. M. Saiful Huq presented on reshaping tomorrow through the need for multi-country clinical trials. Amna Al Ajmi presented on the effects of hydration on consistency of bladder-filling protocols during pelvic radiotherapy. Layal Makki presented on immobilisation thermoplastic masks in terms of shrinkage and pressure. Dr. Tooba Ali addressed the impact of bowel preparation compliance on interfractional rectal diameter variation. The oncology programme covered a broad range of tumour sites and treatment modalities. Dr. Ahmed Maklad presented hematology updates for radiation oncologists. Dr. Bilal Mazhar Qureshi addressed local treatment of paediatric sarcomas. Dr. Ikram A. Burney presented on immunomodulation and checkpoint inhibitors. Dr. Khalid Alrabiah provided an update in gastrointestinal cancers. Dr. Mohammed Alaswad presented on tomotherapy experience at a tertiary cancer centre. Hale Basak Caglar presented a review of CNS tumour treatments — 2023 update. Dr. Reem Albeesh presented a review of breast cancer management. Dr. Syed A. Hussain presented on the importance of the abscopal effect in the management of bladder cancer. Dr. Rabeeta Sheikh presented on PEG tube dependence in patients undergoing head and neck radiotherapy. Naif M. Alotaibi presented on academic productivity in residency. A session addressed the changing landscape of cancer treatment, and a further session covered patient shared decision-making in radiotherapy. The 2nd Congress demonstrated the breadth and depth of radiation oncology expertise across the Middle East and the society's commitment to bringing international faculty into dialogue with regional practitioners. MESTRO thanks all delegates, faculty, sponsors, and the local organising committee at Alfaisal University for their contributions. The society looks forward to welcoming the radiation oncology community back to Riyadh for the 5th Congress on December 4–5, 2026.