Poor Public Awareness Reaffirms Radiotherapy's "Cinderella” Status

The survey of more than 2,000 people from across the United Kingdom also reveals just 14% are aware that half of all cancer patients could benefit from radiotherapy as part of their treatment.

The survey was compiled and published September 7, 2010, by Cancer Research U.K. (London, UK). The survey showed that the public rate other cancer treatments--surgery, chemotherapy, or targeted drugs--higher than radiotherapy as cutting-edge treatments. Cancer Research UK believes lack of public awareness about radiotherapy's significance in treating cancer is having a serious impact on providing excellent treatment for the United Kingdom. A Cancer Research UK report estimates that only 38% of cancer patients in England are getting radiotherapy although research revealed that up to 50% might benefit.

Differences in staffing levels and equipment means UK healthcare trusts are failing to offer equal opportunities for patients to receive radiotherapy. For those patients who are being offered radiotherapy many suffer unacceptably long waiting times before receiving their treatment.

As the population ages, cancer rates are expected to increase. Planning for the future is critical if the health service is going to meet the increased demand for radiotherapy. The United Kingdom is also lagging behind America and Europe in introducing new, more targeted radiotherapy technology. Techniques and equipment such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) are more typically available in these other health systems.

IMRT uses computers to control the radiotherapy machine to vary the intensity of the radiation beams, helping to match closely the three-dimensional shape of the tumor. It provides very precise doses to a cancer or to specific areas within the tumor while minimizing the dose to nearby tissues.

IGRT captures images of the cancer before and during radiotherapy so the clinician can make sure the treatment is precise and accurate. The number of people receiving radiotherapy in the United Kingdom, however, has increased by 75% since 2000 and the number of radiographers providing treatment rose by 40% between 2000 and 2006.

However, the U.K. Government has acknowledged that more must be done.

Prof. Gillies McKenna, director of the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology at the University of Oxford, said, "Radiotherapy is a critical part of cancer treatment. We know that around 20% of cancer patients receive a new type of modulated radiotherapy [IMRT] in Europe, while the U.K. is only delivering IMRT to 7% of patients. This newer type of radiotherapy is more effective in delivering targeted treatment, minimizing side-effects to other parts of the body.”

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said, "Radiotherapy has a key part to play in treating and curing around 40% of cancers so it's vital there is good, fast access to this service.” "Radiotherapy has improved substantially over the last 10 years but there are vital areas that need to be addressed to help deliver the best treatment for patients. Raising awareness of the importance of radiotherapy is the first step to improving services for this undervalued treatment. Radiotherapy needs the same level of public support that new drugs have. We have seen awareness helping steer priorities with other treatments and believe this should happen with radiotherapy. It's important that all areas of the U.K. offer the same opportunities for patients to have radiotherapy wherever they live. Careful and sustained planning is needed across the U.K. if we are to build a world-class service for radiotherapy for the future,” Mr. Kumar added.

Related Links:
Cancer Research UK