CAT-ClinART project to be presented at ESTRO 2026

The CAT-ClinART (Catalan Clinical Audit Network for Quality Improvement in Radiotherapy) project has been accepted for presentation at European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology – ESTRO 2026, within the session titled “Safeguarding access to radiation oncology.”

The accepted work, entitled “Designing a Regional Clinical Audit System in Radiotherapy: Tools and Infrastructure from the CAT-ClinART Project”, authored by C. Muñoz-Montplet, X. Maldonado, C. Candela-Juan, A. Herreros, J. Pérez-Alija, D. Jurado-Bruggeman, V. Hernandez, G. Sancho-Pardo and N. Jornet, on behalf of the CAT-ClinART consortium, presents the outcomes of the project’s pre-implementation phase .

Funded by the EU4Health Programme (Grant No. 101161063), CAT-ClinART aims to establish a permanent, peer-led clinical audit network in radiotherapy across Catalonia. The consortium brings together all ten public radiotherapy departments in Catalonia, the Catalan Department of Health and the Centro Nacional de Dosimetría, with the shared objective of strengthening quality, safety and consistency in radiotherapy practice.

The work describes the development of a standardized clinical audit manual adapted to the Catalan context, based on the QUATRO and B-QUATRO methodologies, as well as the definition of a validated set of prostate cancer–specific quality indicators for benchmarking. The audit model includes structured review of prescription, contouring and treatment planning using mock cases; dosimetric audits under reference and non-reference conditions; and end-to-end testing with a pelvic phantom to simulate the full radiotherapy pathway.

In addition, a secure REDCap-based platform has been deployed for structured data collection, and a dedicated multidisciplinary training programme for clinical auditors has been implemented, including technical assessments and soft-skills training focused on effective feedback.

The acceptance of this work at ESTRO 2026 represents an important international recognition of the CAT-ClinART project and reinforces Catalonia’s commitment to building sustainable, high-quality clinical audit systems that safeguard equitable access to safe and effective radiation oncology.