woman for radiotherapy
Photo by Rhoda Baer
VIENNA—Millions of people throughout the world are dying from potentially treatable cancers because of a chronic underinvestment in radiotherapy resources, according to a new report.
The report suggests that expanding access to radiotherapy services will require a sizeable investment upfront, but that investment could bring economic benefits of up to $365 billion in developing countries over the next 20 years.
The report was published in The Lancet Oncology and presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress.
The report estimates that 204 million fractions of radiotherapy will be needed to treat the 12 million cancer patients worldwide who could benefit from treatment in 2035.
But the cost per fraction is highly cost-effective and low compared to the price of many new cancer drugs, according to the report’s authors.
They estimate that full access to radiotherapy could be achieved for all patients in need in low-and middle income countries (LMIC) by 2035 for $97 billion, with potential health benefits of 27 million life-years saved and economic benefits ranging from $278 billion to $365 billion over the next 20 years.
“There is a widespread misconception that the costs of providing radiotherapy put it beyond the reach of all but the richest countries, [but] nothing could be further from the truth,” said Rifat Atun, MBBS, of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.
“Our work . . . clearly shows that not only can this essential service be deployed safely and high quality treatment delivered in low- and middle-income countries, but that scale-up of radiotherapy capacity is a feasible and highly cost-effective investment.”
The report provides details on access to radiotherapy services across the world, on a country-by-country basis. The authors calculated the costs and benefits of meeting the worldwide shortfall in resources and bridging the gap in access to effective treatment.
Estimates suggest that, at present, about 40% to 60% of cancer patients worldwide have access to radiotherapy. Even in high-income countries like Canada, Australia, and the UK, numbers of radiotherapy facilities, equipment, and trained staff are inadequate.
Access is worst in low-income countries, where as many as 9 out of 10 people cannot access radiotherapy. The problem of access is especially acute in Africa. In most African countries, radiotherapy is virtually non-existent. Forty countries have no radiotherapy facilities at all.
“The time has come to agree and implement immediate actions to tackle the global shortfall in radiotherapy services and the crisis of access to this highly effective treatment,” Dr Atun said.
With that in mind, he and his colleagues called for the following 6 targets to be met.
By 2020:
- 80% of countries to have comprehensive cancer plans that include radiotherapy.
- Each LMIC to create 1 new center for treatment and training.
- 80% of LMICs to include radiotherapy services in their universal health coverage plans.
By 2025:
- A 25% increase in radiotherapy treatment capacity.
- LMICs to train 7500 radiation oncologists, 20,000 radiotherapy radiographers, and 6000 medical physicists.
- $46 billion of upfront investment to be raised to establish radiotherapy infrastructure and training in LMICs (with help from international banks and the private sector).
“The evidence outlined in the [report] reinforces the case for investing in radiotherapy as an essential component of cancer control,” said Mary Gospodarowicz, MD, co-chair of the UICC Global Task Force on Radiotherapy for Cancer Control.
“The building of radiotherapy capacity will require large initial investment. However, the treatment is more cost-effective than chemotherapy and surgery for treating cancer, and the health and economic benefits will be realized in just 10 to 15 years.”
