Out of sight, out of mind: interventional oncology’s underrepresentation in undergraduate medical education

Abstract Purpose Interventional Oncology (IO) offers essential, minimally invasive treatment options for cancer patients, yet remains underrepresented in undergraduate medical education. The aim of this study was to assess medical students’ knowledge, awareness and perceptions of interventional radiology (IR), with a special focus on IO. Methods An anonymous online survey was distributed to 300 fifth-year medical students at a German medical school between winter 2023 and summer 2024. The questionnaire covered demographics, knowledge of IR procedures, IR’s clinical practice and interest in radiology as a career. Descriptive statistics were conducted. Results Eighty-five students (28.3% response rate) participated. Although all participants (100%) were aware of IR, only 36.5% had prior exposure during medical school. Most students (67.1%) rated their knowledge of IR as poor. Vascular procedures were largely recognized as part of IR, while knowledge of IO-specific procedures was low. Fewer than half correctly identified renal tumor ablation (48.8%), hepatic tumor ablation (43.5%) and lung biopsy (42.4%) as IR procedures. Regarding clinical practice, students assumed IR departments run outpatient clinics (69.0%), admit patients (65.5%) and do ward rounds (64.3%), whereas 41.7% thought IR departments have own inpatient beds. Although 70.6% expressed interest in IR, more than three-quarters (78.8%) rejected radiology as a career, citing lack of patient contact (57.6%) as the main reason. Conclusion Despite high general awareness, students showed limited understanding of IR’s clinical practice and poor knowledge of IO procedures. Early, structured integration of IO into undergraduate curricula is essential to improve awareness, break down misconceptions and attract future specialists.