Research Information System
LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH, vol.12, no.12, 2024 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
Background Addressing the challenge of cancer control requires a comprehensive, integrated, and global health- system response. We aimed to estimate global radiotherapy demands and requirements for radiotherapy professionals from 2022 to 2050. Methods We conducted a population-based study using data from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) 2022 and predicted global radiotherapy demands and workforce requirements in 2050. We obtained incidence figures for 29 types ofcancer across 183 countries and derived the cancer-specific radiotherapy use rate using the 2013 Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation model. We delineated the proportion of people with cancer who require radiotherapy and can be accommodated within the existing installed capacity, assuming an optimal use rate of 50% or 64%, in both 2022 and 2050. A use rate of 50% corresponds to the global average and a use rate of 64% considers potential re-treatment scenarios, as indicated by the 2013 Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CCORE) radiotherapy use rate model. We established specified requirements for teletherapy units at a ratio of 1:450 patients, for radiation oncologists at a ratio of 1:250 patients, for medical physicists at a ratio of 1:450 patients, and for radiation therapists at a ratio of 1:150 patients in all countries and consistently using these ratios. We collected current country-level data on the radiotherapy-professional workforce from national health reports, oncology societies, or other authorities from 32 countries. Findings In 2022, there were an estimated 20