ESTRO meets Asia 2024 - Abstract Book

S127

Interdisciplinary – Global health

ESTRO meets Asia 2024

167

Proffered Paper

Global radiotherapy demands and corresponding medical professional workforce requirements

Hongcheng Zhu 1,2 , Mingwe Ma 3 , Imjai Chitapanarux 4 , Andrés Rodríguez Mignola 5 , Natalia Amrogowicz 6 , Catherine Mwaba 7 , Gozde Yazici 8 , Majid Alghamdi 9,10 , Martin Harutyunyan 11 , Golam Mohiuddin Faruque 12 , Muthukkumaran Thiagarajan 13 , Humera Mahmood 14 , Yuntao Chen 15 , Melvin Lee Kiang Chua 16 , Hutcha Sriplung 17 , Rolando Camacho 18 , Zhen Zhang 1 , May Abdel-Wahab 19 1 Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. 2 Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom. 3 Radiation Oncology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China. 4 Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 5 Radiation Oncology, Hospital Universitario CEMIC, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 6 1st Radiation and Clinical Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland. 7 Oncology, Cancer Diseases Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia. 8 Radiation Oncology, Hacettepe University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. 9 Radiation Oncology, Princess Noorah Oncology Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 10 College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 11 Oncology, Yeolyan Hematology and Oncology Center, Yerevan, Armenia. 12 Head Office, Bangladesh Cancer Society, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 13 Radiotherapy and Oncology, Hospital Kuala Lumpu, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 14 Clinical Oncology & Radiology, Atomic Energy Cancer Hospital, NORI, Islamabad, Pakistan. 15 Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom. 16 Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. 17 Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand. 18 Global Cancer Control, City Cancer Challenge, Geneva, Switzerland. 19 Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria

Purpose/Objective:

Cancer stands as either the primary or second-leading cause of death globally. Unfortunately, in the strategic planning and establishment of cancer treatment facilities, radiotherapy is often relegated to the position of a last resort. This has resulted in an unacceptably low level of global access to radiotherapy. Recognizing the landscape of global radiotherapy demands and the associated workforce requirements for medical professionals is essential for effective global cancer control and the development of treatment capacities.

Material/Methods:

We conducted a study to project global radiotherapy demands and the workforce requirements for medical professionals spanning from 2022 to 2050. Our data compilation involved extracting information from United Nations agencies, utilizing cancer incidences reported in GLOBOCAN by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), as well as data on gross national income and income levels from the World Bank. Additionally, we gathered insights into the number and operational status of megavoltage teletherapy machines through the Directory of Radiotherapy Centers (DIRAC) by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We also collected current country level data on the radiotherapy medical professional workforce from national health reports, oncology societies, or other authorities. Utilizing descriptive statistics and data visualization techniques, we presented both aggregated and country-level data to offer a comprehensive understanding of the global landscape of radiotherapy demands and workforce needs. To construct our model and perform calculations, we drew upon methodologies established in previously reported literature.