Interventional Oncology News reports from the Society of Interventional Radiology’s (SIR’s) 39th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, USA.

Interventional radiology has recently achieved specialty status in the USA – separate from diagnostic radiology. At the SIR Meeting a debate was undertaken as to whether specific subspecialty training was required in interventional oncology.

Those in favour of dedicated interventional oncology training argued that “The practice of interventional oncology requires a distinct body of knowledge and specific and technical and clinical competencies. The current diagnostic radiology/interventional radiology training scheme does not provide adequate training for competency to practice interventional oncology.

“Interventional oncologists must know the science and medicine of oncology as well as their medical, surgical and radiological counterparts and must master the science and evidence of interventional oncology”.