Newswise — The Society of Interventional Oncology will be the only membership-based organization dedicated entirely to interventional oncology, a subspecialty field of interventional radiology.

Interventional oncology focuses on the treatment of cancer through minimally invasive procedures performed under image guidance, such as X-ray, MRI, PET scan, CT scan or ultrasound.

The society will offer four membership categories: active, affiliate, resident/fellow and student. Benefits — such as discounted conference rates, research grant opportunities and access to Interventional Oncology University, an online on-demand education resource — will differ based on membership level.

The society will continue to hold an annual symposium, retaining the World Conference on Interventional Oncology (WCIO) name.

Jeff Geschwind, MD — chairman of the department of radiology and biomedical imaging, as well as professor of radiology and oncology at Yale School of Medicine — will serve as the society’s first president.

HemOnc Today spoke with Geschwind about the need for the society and the benefits he hopes it will offer to its members.

Question: Can you describe the need for this society?

Answer : Since the WCIO meeting was launched more than 10 years ago, the interest for interventional oncology has grown exponentially. This interest has been felt worldwide, not just in the United States and Europe. The enthusiastic support from our industry partners, the creation of Interventional Oncology University and an interventional oncology curriculum by WCIO, combined with the explosive growth of interventional oncology, prompted the WCIO board to establish the society. We realized there was a real and urgent need to create a society dedicated to interventional oncology.