Radiotherapy is an essential component of effective cancer care for the most common cancers globally which is recommended in over 50% of cancer cases globally. However access to care is deeply inequitable as 80% of cancer patients, those living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICS) only have access to around 5% of global radiotherapy resources. To explore these global trends, Lancet Oncology commission Expanding global access to radiotherapy set out to determine both the global demand for radiotherapy, given current best clinical practices, alongside the financial investments needed to meet this demand, and the financial returns on this.
Drawing these different strands together the Global Task Force on Radiotherapy for Cancer Control (GTFRCCC), the team behind Lancet Oncology commission, developed a five-point call to action for countries, cancer advocates and other stakeholders to step up and start taking action. You can read a four-page summary of the commission or explore the videos below to hear more about the commission from the authors.
Dr David Jaffray presents on why the task force was established, how and why the aims were developed and are relevant to the global health community. David also talks through how the team reached their results, their implications for the global cancer community and next steps.
VIDEO 2: MAKING THE CASE FOR INVESTMENT: THE KEY MESSAGES
Dr Danielle Rodin runs through the investment case for radiotherapy and explores the long term costs and benefits of scaling up radiotherapy investment for high-, middle-, and low-income countries alike.
VIDEO 3: TAKING THIS FORWARD: WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?
Prof. Mary Gospodarowicz explores the commission’s 5-point call to action which emphasises the need for:
- Population-based cancer control plans – with clear strategies to scale up radiotherapy
- Expansion of access to radiotherapy – with at least 1 centre per country by 2020
- Innovative training to build human resources for radiotherapy – explore new approaches and partnerships for training
- Sustainable financing to expand access to radiotherapy – learn from global initiatives to generate the resources required
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Align radiotherapy with Universal Health Care to ensure that it is affordable and accessible to all, and supports the work of the health sector.