Dear Brachytherapy Friends,
It finally happened! We could meet face-to-face after over two years gap in direct
contact. Between 6th and 10th of May, the ESTRO2022 congress took place in Copenhagen,
Denmark. I find the meeting successful, fruitful, and deeply reviving. I reckon that
online conferences will never entirely replace personal contact, open discussions, and
backstage conversations. However, remote communication has its’ advantages.
This year’s meeting was unique for me, for the Greater Poland Cancer Center in
Poznań, Poland, and for the Polish Brachytherapy Society (PBS). It happened that the
GEC-ESTRO Committee decided to honor Prof. Janusz Skowronek with a prestigious
2022 ESTRO Iridium Award in memoriam (Photo 1). One beautiful Sunday afternoon
8th of May, I took the opportunity to present a short introduction to the award lecture and briefly summarized Prof.
Skowronek’s life achievements in the field of brachytherapy. I felt touched and privileged to do so! Thank you, Ina Jürgenliemk-
Schulz, for your kind invitation. After the introduction, the PBS President, Piotr Wojcieszek, gave a creative
speech titled: “You’ll never walk alone – The lesson late Professor Janusz Skowronek taught me”, which deserved an
applause. Then, the GEC-ESTRO Committee Past Chair presented the medal to Piotr Wojcieszek who immediately
passed it to my hands, and asked me to secure it and find a worthy place for presentation at Janusz’s home department.
If he could speak for himself, I am sure he would have felt pride, satisfaction, and distinction. He would have felt noticed
and appreciated by the international brachytherapy community, for which he strove for many years. The award
is a milestone for the Polish Brachytherapy Society, and all its’ members are also very grateful.
Why do I mention these facts? Most of you probably know the answer. From the start of his scientific career, Janusz
Skowronek desired to create an international, open-access professional scientific journal. After demanding but fruitful
preparation, he achieved it. On the 5th of November, 2008, the Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy (JCB) was
established, the one you are holding in your hands right now. For ten long years, Prof. Skowronek played the role of
its’ originator, initiator, propagator, reviewer, papers author, and most important, the Editor-in-Chief. With respect,
the JCB Editorial Board honors his memory!
The JCB 3/2022 issue contains four clinical papers, two preliminary reports, a single physics contribution, one
technical report, two case reports, two excellent pictorial essays, and an educational paper. I would like to recognize
three of them.
The JCB strongly supports all efforts leading to better brachytherapy service worldwide. We gladly present the
paper by Nuhu Tumba et al. (Nigeria) on brachytherapy infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa. The report states how
many brachytherapy units are available and where they can be found in Africa; it reveals especially the deficiencies
and inequalities that are the source of problems with adequate cervical cancer treatment.
The second selected manuscript is a concise, informative, pictorial essay on HDR-BT (interventional radiotherapy,
IRT) in lip carcinoma management, based on interstitial rigid needles. The technique is simple and offers excellent
oncological and functional results, as Jose Luis Guinot et al. (Valencia, Spain) proved it.
The last paper I would like to highlight is an educational article thoroughly prepared by Angeles Ravirosa et al.
(Barcelona, Spain). It is an attempt to remind very easy, practical, and old technique that is currently underused.
The authors comprehensively overviewed and discussed indications and technical aspects of esophageal BT (IRT).
I wish you addictive reading!
Yours sincerely,
Adam Chicheł, MD, PhD
Editor-in-Chief,
Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy
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