IAEA Partners with Princess Máxima Center to Strengthen Childhood Cancer Care

The collaboration focuses on expanding global access to safe, high-quality paediatric radiotherapy, a vital yet unevenly available component of childhood cancer care.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has officially designated the Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology in the Netherlands as a new IAEA Collaborating Centre, marking a major step toward improving childhood cancer treatment worldwide. The announcement was made in Utrecht during a ceremony attended by Her Majesty Queen Máxima and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

The collaboration focuses on expanding global access to safe, high-quality paediatric radiotherapy, a vital yet unevenly available component of childhood cancer care.

A Major Step Toward Reducing Global Radiotherapy Inequities

Director General Grossi emphasized the importance of closing the radiotherapy gap for children globally:

“It is our mission to reduce the big disparities in radiotherapy for children around the world; knowledge and training are a key part of that.”

The partnership will allow paediatric radiotherapy specialists from around the world to train at the Princess Máxima Center and apply their new skills in their home countries—benefitting children and families who urgently need improved cancer care.

Advancing Training, Quality Assurance and Global Standards

As an IAEA Collaborating Centre, the Princess Máxima Center will support:

• training programmes in paediatric radiation oncology, medical physics and nutrition

• IAEA technical missions, including QUATRO audits and quality-assurance reviews

• development of guidance documents and educational materials

• strengthening of global treatment standards for childhood cancer radiotherapy

These efforts directly support the IAEA’s Human Health Programme and its flagship Rays of Hope initiative, which aims to expand access to cancer care in low- and middle-income countries.

Focus on Expanding Access Across Africa and Beyond

Grossi highlighted the partnership’s expansion into Africa:

“Together, we are coordinating a new partnership in Africa, beginning with Kenya, to strengthen paediatric cancer care.”

This marks a major step in bringing world-class paediatric oncology expertise to regions where access to high-quality care remains critically limited.

Expert Training for Paediatric Oncology Teams

The Princess Máxima Center will also host regional training courses, starting with the first edition taking place this week in Utrecht. These trainings will strengthen paediatric radiation oncology capacity in:

• Central and Eastern Europe

• Eurasia

• African partner countries

The focus on education and workforce development responds to one of the most urgent needs identified in global childhood cancer care.

Supporting the IAEA’s Rays of Hope Initiative

The designation strengthens ongoing efforts under Rays of Hope, which aims to expand radiotherapy access in countries that lack essential cancer treatment infrastructure. By leveraging the Princess Máxima Center’s expertise, the IAEA will accelerate the development of:

• high-quality training curricula

• global safety standards

• sustainable models for paediatric radiation oncology services

The ultimate goal is to help countries implement safe, effective and durable childhood cancer programmes.

Building on Strong Ongoing Collaboration

The collaboration builds on projects already underway since 2023, including:

• joint scientific publications

• participation in IAEA regional workshops on paediatric radiotherapy

• contributions to the IAEA’s framework for training radiation oncology professionals

• efforts to integrate nutrition and medical physics into multidisciplinary cancer care

Professor Rob Pieters, Chief Máxima International, expressed the Center’s commitment:

“This partnership substantially contributes to our mission, shared by paediatric oncologists worldwide: curing every child with cancer, with the best possible quality of life. Everywhere.”

A Global Partnership for Children With Cancer

By combining the IAEA’s global reach with the Princess Máxima Center’s expertise, this new designation will help expand high-quality paediatric cancer treatment to regions that need it most—driving progress toward equitable cancer care for all children.