7 November 2018, Brussels: Radiotherapy is 'undervalued' and 'needs greater investment' according to a new report published today (7 November 2018*) commissioned by the Marie Curie Legacy Campaign - an initiative of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and the ESTRO Cancer Foundation (ECF). 2
'Radiotherapy saves lives - either used alone or in combination with other types of cancer treatment,' says report author, Yolande Lievens, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, and Past-President of ESTRO. 'Currently, radiotherapy is recommended as part of treatment for more than 50% of cancer patients, but across Europe, at least a quarter of people who need radiotherapy do not receive it. This is wholly unacceptable and a missed opportunity for cancer patients.'
Entitled Radiotherapy: seizing the opportunity in cancer care, the white paper recommends a five point plan to boost uptake of radiotherapy and calls on all stakeholders - governments and policymakers, healthcare professionals, patients and professional societies, along with national and international research funds - to become 'radiotherapy ambassadors' to help raise awareness of the benefits of radiotherapy and secure its valuable position in comprehensive, optimal cancer care.
The report's authors cite shortages of high-quality equipment, variations in training, insufficient integration of radiotherapy into treatment plans, lack of investment in research, lack of general understanding of radiotherapy as a cancer treatment and misconceptions regarding the safety of radiotherapy among the important factors contributing to radiotherapy's poor image and underuse.
The report's five key recommendations are:
In 2018, 4.23 million people received a cancer diagnosis in Europe 3 - and the incidence of cancer is increasing. The demand for radiotherapy is expected to see a 16% increase by 2025. 4,5
'Radiotherapy appears to be left on the sidelines of national health policy agendas,' says Lydia Makaroff, Director of the European Cancer Patient Coalition. 'Greater investment, improved access and better understanding of radiotherapy - both at a national and international level - is vital. This will ensure that patients get the best possible and most effective care for their particular type of cancer, leading to better outcomes and more lives saved.'
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A full copy of the report can be accessed here: mariecurielegacy.org
* The report has been launched to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Marie Curie, who pioneered research into ionising radiation, which laid the foundation for the use of radiation in cancer treatment.
Note to editors
Key facts about radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is a safe, non-invasive and highly effective cancer treatment, using ionising radiation, predominantly via high-energy X-rays. It is recommended as part of treatment for more than half of cancer patients.
About the report authors
The report has been authored by a panel of radiation oncology experts from across Europe under the auspices of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and the ESTRO Cancer Foundation (ECF):
About ESTRO
ESTRO was founded in 1980, as a non-profit and scientific organisation that fosters the role of radiation oncology in order to improve patients' care in the multimodality treatment of cancer. With over 7,300 members in and outside Europe, ESTRO supports all radiation oncology professionals in their daily practice: radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiobiologists and radiation therapists and the wider oncology community. 'Radiation oncology. Optimal health for all, together' is the ESTRO vision. ESTRO promotes innovation, research and dissemination of science through its congresses, special meetings, educational courses and publications.
About the ESTRO Cancer Foundation and the Marie Curie Legacy Campaign
The ESTRO Cancer Foundation (ECF) was launched by ESTRO in 2012. Its ambition is to ensure that every cancer patient has access to appropriate and personalised cancer care. The ECF's projects are designed to raise awareness and understanding of radiotherapy. It is instrumental in facilitating research and making the resulting scientific data accessible and understandable to everyone.
The Marie Curie Legacy Campaign, pioneered by the ECF and ESTRO, is a global initiative to raise awareness of the benefits of radiotherapy and optimise the provision of radiotherapy in Europe and beyond.
For more information, visit: http://www.mariecurielegacy.org
For further information, please contact:
Lynsey Conway
Email: lynsey.conway@hpolicy.com
Tel: +447778 304233
Henry Arnold
Email: henry.arnold@hpolicy.com
Tel: +4420 3857 3646 / +447708 220932