World’s first accreditation programme for Interventional Oncology (IASIOS) opened for public enrolment

The International Accreditation System for Interventional Oncology Services (IASIOS) has concluded its pilot phase with flying colours and has launched publicly. Twelve pioneering hospitals from nine countries successfully participated in the IASIOS pilot phase. A robust system tested and optimised over the past two years stands ready for all facilities worldwide that offer IO services, regardless of size or location.

IASIOS is the world’s only accreditation scheme focussed exclusively on minimally invasive treatments for cancer. The main goal of IASIOS is to establish the highest quality standards in interventional oncology (IO) throughout the entire service line and patient pathway. Patients can benefit greatly from IO treatments, as their minimally invasive nature means that they are associated with less pain, fewer complications and shorter recovery times than conventional surgery. Furthermore, many IO procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis thus increasing efficiency, reducing costs and waiting times, and allowing earlier resumption of normal life. This is especially important in this challenging period when IO could help to reduce substantial backlogs in cancer care.

With the continued growth and recognition of IO as an independent clinical discipline and the fourth pillar of cancer care, facilities providing IO therapies must follow appropriate guidelines if the relevant treatments are to be used safely and appropriately. It is likewise essential for patient safety and satisfaction that IOs have the ability and means to officially prove their value and expertise, not as technicians, but rather as primary clinical providers to patients and hospital administrators. In order to achieve exactly that, the Standards of Quality Assurance in Interventional Oncology, published by the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe, were used as a blueprint and set the foundation for developing an accreditation system that can be used to standardise the level of care for IO services on a global scale.

Looking forward to the global launch of IASIOS, Professor Andreas Adam, Chairman of the IASIOS Supervisory Board, said: “IASIOS is the culmination of years of dedicated work by CIRSE. It is exciting to reach this stage, as this pioneering accreditation scheme will help improve cancer care around the world.’

Centres that enroll in the IASIOS system become part of a larger worldwide community of top IO centres working together to further develop and promote the practice of IO and raise awareness of its benefits among patients and medical providers.