Proceedings of Technological Advances in Science, Medicine and Engineering Conference 2021

Challenges of Radiation Therapy in Developing Countries
Vijitha Ramanathan
Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide among men and women. According to GLOBOCAN 2020, about 10 million deaths and 19.3 million new cases were reported in 2020 worldwide. Treatment of cancer can comprise of several treatment modalities such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immuno-therapy, hormonal-therapy, and palliative care. About 50% of cancer patients receive radiotherapy during their course of treatment due to the low cost comparing with other cancer treatment options. The modern radiotherapy involves very complex treatment techniques that requires precise application. Highly qualified medical professional in the field of radiotherapy are required. Purchasing modern radiotherapy equipment, maintenance of the equipment, and training the health professional are highly expensive processes. Therefore, using modern radiotherapy equipment in cancer treatment is a challenging task for developing countries. Due to that, there are huge disparities in the distribution of megavoltage teletherapy machines per one million population among high income countries, middle income countries and low-income countries. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s directory of radiotherapy centers (DIRAC) database, one megavoltage radiotherapy machine is available for every 120,000 population in high income countries, one teletherapy machine serves about one million population in middle income countries, and about 5 million people depend on a single teletherapy machine in low income countries. In addition, there is no radiotherapy facilities in 51 countries. It indicates that there are significant shortfalls in radiotherapy facilities in developing countries. This presentation will discuss the limitations in accessing the radiotherapy facilities in developing countries and what kind of approaches can be done to reach the level of access in developed countries.



Last modified: 2021-06-27
Building: TASME Center
Room: Science Hall
Date: July 3, 2021 - 03:15 PM – 03:35 PM

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