ASTRO Changes Name To American Society For Radiation Oncology

Main Category: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 07 Jan 2009 - 3:00 PST

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After 26 years as the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, ASTRO is changing its name to the American Society for Radiation Oncology. With its new name, ASTRO has also unveiled a new logo that will keep the acronym ASTRO by having the "T" represent ASTRO's tagline, "Targeting Cancer Care."

"Today, most departments and practices use the term 'radiation oncology' to represent the hard work they do using radiation therapy to treat and cure patients with cancer," Laura I. Thevenot, ASTRO's chief executive officer, said. "Over the past few decades the term 'therapeutic radiology' has become outdated and confusing as radiation oncology has evolved into a specialty very separate from its origins in diagnostic radiology. ASTRO's new name will better correlate with the term that our members are using in their own practices to communicate with patients and better reflect who we are as a specialty."

This is the fourth time the Society has changed its name since it was established as the American Club of Therapeutic Radiologists in 1958. Each name change was invoked so the Society's name would better reflect the growth of membership and the Society's growing identification with the practice of oncology

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit http://www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit http://www.astro.org.

ASTRO