World Radiotherapy Awareness Day (WRAD), to be held annually on 7th September, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the essential role radiotherapy plays in cancer care. It advocates for equitable access to radiotherapy services worldwide and celebrates both the professionals who deliver it and the patients who experience it. The day also encourages public engagement and education to foster greater understanding of radiotherapy’s impact.
The idea for WRAD was first announced in November 2024 during London Global Cancer Week, and has since gained widespread support from the international radiotherapy community. This year’s inaugural WRAD marks the anniversary of the first patient treated on a linear accelerator. The campaign theme, “One Voice for Radiotherapy,” reflects a unified global effort to raise awareness and advocate for equitable access to radiotherapy services. Radiotherapy societies and professionals from around the world including ALATRO, AORTIC, ASTRO, ESTRO, RCR and many others have joined the WRAD movement and are planning events and campaigns to support it.
To mark the day and align with WRAD’s mission to amplify patient and professional voices and highlight radiotherapy’s life-saving and life-improving potential, we at CRUK CoL Radiation Research Centre will showcase selected artworks from the “What Does Radiotherapy Mean to You?” project via our Bluesky and LinkedIn channels. Find out more about the project here.
If you would like to join in celebrating World Radiotherapy Awareness Day, sign up to the newsletter on the WRAD website to stay up to date on the campaign and events near you. To support wider engagement with World Radiotherapy Awareness Day, the WRAD Committee has released a Resource Toolkit featuring downloadable materials for use in social media, newsletters, presentations and events. These include sample posts and graphics, multilingual key messages under the “One Voice for Radiotherapy” campaign, infographics, posters and presentation slides.
