A silent crisis: cancer treatment in developing countries

A dramatic rise in cancer across the developing world is stretching already limited resources and equipment. In this respect, the current publication provides a brief overview of the experiences and achievements of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the radiotherapy field.

The paper states that meeting the challenges arising in managing cancer is not a matter of providing appropriate equipment only; there must be sufficient trained and knowledgeable staff with clinical and medical physics expertise to deliver a safe and effective radiation dose.

Findings are that:

• more than 10 million persons are diagnosed with cancer each year (not counting skin cancer), and over half of these cases occur in the developing countries
• the developing world is seriously underserved with the therapies designed to save lives or at least improve their quality of life
• the most common preventable cause of cancers is the use of tobacco
• the most important component of any radiotherapy programme is qualified personnel
• indeed, the success of radiotherapy depends greatly upon the accuracy of the radiation dose delivered to the patient

The document underlines that the IAEA is currently helping to upgrade radiotherapy facilities in some 80 countries through national and regional projects. Furthermore, the agency is establishing or improving quality assurance programmes through another 20 national projects and 5 regional projects. In particular, the paper highlights that modern radiotherapy facilities have been set up for the first time in several developing countries. Yet, it points that in most cases, countries retain medical expertise but need to re-build or upgrade radiotherapy facilities.