History of the Society
1998 Founding of the Society and Adoption of Mascot ‘Imogen’
In 1997, Professor Dame Janet Husband and Professor Rodney Reznek, both renowned cancer imaging experts from the Royal Marsden Hospital and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, conceived the idea of creating an international society for their field. Over the next year, they collaborated to bring this vision to life, culminating in a global gathering of experts and the adoption of “Imogen” as the Society’s mascot.
Professor Husband picks up the story …
“Who is Imogen?” written by Professor Dame Janet Husband
Imogen is a very special parrot as she not only witnessed the birth of the International Cancer Imaging Society on a cold winter’s night back in 1998 but more importantly, she has been our treasured mascot ever since and, of course as you all know, our logo is based on her beautiful image.
Professor Rodney Reznek and I had been committed to establishing a Cancer Imaging Society since 1997 and with this objective we invited a group of ten radiologists who were specialists in cancer Imaging from different centres across the world to attend a meeting in London the following year. The purpose of the meeting was to establish the role of the Society and to appoint our first trustees. Following a long day of discussions we had arranged a small informal dinner in a private room at a new and trendy restaurant in Fulham. We were all very excited about our future society and many aspects of our governance and plans that had been agreed that day were further developed over dinner. However, at the very end of the evening, when everyone was very jolly and we had wined and dined exceedingly well, we realised that we needed a logo which would help to identify the society as a distinct independent entity. So we considered many different potential logos over our final glasses of wine but none seemed to fit perfectly – and it was nearly midnight! And then I saw her – Imogen, sitting silently in the middle of the table and clearly listening to every word that we had been saying throughout the evening! The perfect mascot. We were very fortunate as the owner of the restaurant generously donated Imogen to us as a memento of the occasion and Imogen, the fabulous china parrot, had found her new home!
So every year since then Imogen has been handed from President to President and as a result Imogen is a very well-travelled parrot. She has had a much more exciting life than sitting on a table in a crowded restaurant but she did suffer a little damage to one of her wings a few years ago. To help prevent any further mishaps, Professor Wolfgang Schima when President of ICIS, bought her a special case with a foam interior specially cut out to fit her shape to protect her. Thanks to Wolfgang she can now travel the world much more safely.
We hope you will join us and see Imogen at an ICIS Annual Teaching Course somewhere in the world! We look forward to meeting you and thank you for supporting our Society!
2000 Launch of Cancer Imaging Journal
Cancer Imaging, the official journal of the International Cancer Imaging Society was launched in 2000 and was the first purely online journal dedicated to oncological imaging. With the aim of advancing research in the field of cancer imaging, it is an open access, peer-reviewed journal publishing original articles, reviews and editorials written by expert international radiologists working in oncology.
The journal encompasses CT, MR, PET, ultrasound, radionuclide and multimodality imaging in all kinds of malignant tumours, plus new developments, techniques and innovations.
Since its launch, Cancer Imaging has become one of the leading radiology journals in the world, receiving over 700 submissions and over 1 million downloads in 2023, and placing it in the top quartile of all radiology scientific journals.
2000 First Annual Teaching Course held
The inaugural ICIS Annual Teaching Course took place in October 2000 at the Royal College of Physicians in London, drawing over 200 participants from 25 countries. This event set a high standard for future courses. The programme featured multidisciplinary symposia on common cancers, where clinicians and surgeons highlighted key advancements in their fields. Additionally, keynote lectures addressed critical developments in oncological imaging, while specialised focus sessions provided small groups with in-depth learning opportunities.
2009 First ICIS Gold Medal awarded
In 2009, the ICIS Trustees introduced the Gold Medal, awarded annually during the Annual Teaching Course. This honour recognises a scholar who has made outstanding contributions to clinical oncological imaging through publications, teaching, advancements in the field, or a combination of these.
Recipients are selected from any scientific discipline represented in the Society and must be an ICIS member or Fellow. Nominations are made by the Trustees and voted on by ICIS Fellows.
The inaugural Gold Medal was awarded to the Society’s Co-Founder, Professor Dame Janet Husband DBE, and it has been presented every year since. To view the full list of recipients, visit the Gold Medal Winners page.
2013 Launch of ICISi Masterclass series
The ICISi Masterclass series launched in February 2013 with its first course focused on Imaging in Gynaecological Cancers. Since then, these hands-on workshops have gained tremendous popularity, now being offered both in-person and online. Topics covered since 2013 span a wide range of areas, including head & neck, hepatobiliary, oncological whole-body MRI, pancreatic, prostate, renal/adrenal, and thoracic imaging. In-person courses have been hosted in London, Paris, Stockholm and Warsaw. Visit our Events page to explore upcoming sessions.
2019 First ICIS in Focus meeting on Artificial Intelligence
The inaugural ICIS in Focus meeting on Artificial Intelligence took place in May 2019 in Lisbon, in collaboration with the Champalimaud Foundation. The theme for this first meeting was “The Wizardry of Artificial Intelligence: AI and Machine Learning in Cancer Imaging.” Since then, two further meetings have been held – online in 2021 and a return to Lisbon in 2023. Featuring a multidisciplinary faculty of experts in oncology, cancer imaging, AI, and machine learning, these events have fostered invaluable discussions on the future of cancer imaging and treatment. Stay tuned to our Events page for updates on upcoming ICIS in Focus meetings.
2020 Free Webinar Series Launched
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ICIS launched a series of bi-monthly webinars in 2020. These hour-long sessions, delivered by ICIS Fellows and invited colleagues, are free and open to all, consistently drawing over 100 participants. To date, the webinars have covered a wide range of topics, including “Demystifying AI in Cancer,” “Head & Neck Cancer Imaging: Pushing Beyond Morphology,” and “Prostate Cancer: Tumour Detection and Boundary Definition.” To explore upcoming webinars, visit our Events page or sign up for our Newsletter for the latest updates.
2022 First Annual Teaching Course held in North America
Boston, USA was the location for the 21st ICIS Annual Teaching Course in the Society’s first foray into North America. Chaired by ICIS President 2021-22, Professor Annick D. Van den Abbeele, the theme was “Cancer Imaging: An all-inclusive specialty”.
2023 Cancer Imaging Journal achieved over 1 million downloads
In 2023, our Cancer Imaging journal surpassed 1 million article downloads for the first time, highlighting its growing influence and continued prominence as a leading publication in the field.
2024 First Annual Teaching Course held in Asia
For the first time in its history, the ICIS Annual Teaching Course was held in Asia. Joining forces with the Singapore College of Radiologists (SGCR) and Workshops in Interventional Radiology Education Singapore (WIRES), the 23rd ICIS Annual Teaching Course was held in the vibrant and exciting country of Singapore.
Chaired by ICIS President 2023-24, Professor Pek-Lan Khong, over 800 delegates enjoyed the packed three-day programme comprising plenary and keynote lectures, hands-on workshops, and educational and scientific sessions on cancer imaging and intervention, delivered by an internationally renowned faculty from around the world.
In an era of breakthroughs in the understanding of carcinogenesis and major developments in cancer treatment and precision medicine, the theme of “Illuminating Cancer Care” underscored the growing role of imaging and intervention in modern clinical practice.