Medical DevicesRadiotherapy Services In England: Good Progress But Still Work To Do
A survey by The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has confirmed that there are marked
geographical variations in patients" access to radiotherapy, and also important differences in
treatment capacity, across England. The survey is presented by Dr Michael Williams, in a paper
appearing in the July 2009 edition of the journal Clinical Oncology.
Radiotherapy is a key component of high quality modern cancer care, playing a vital role in curative
and also in palliative treatments. This survey highlights the crucial relationship between available
treatment capacity and patterns of practice with reduced access, and numbers of treatments per
patient (fractionation) where that capacity is inadequate.
Dr Jane Barrett, Dean of the RCR"s Faculty of Oncology, said, "It has been known for some time that
socially deprived patients have worse outcomes for a range of cancers. This research shows that
access to radiotherapy varies across the UK and is affected by deprivation. It is likely that deprived
patients present later with more advanced tumours which are more difficult to treat. Further research
will be necessary to establish ways of improving treatment and outcomes for such patients.
"English Strategic Health Authorities and health authorities in the devolved UK countries should
consider the findings of this survey in their ongoing reviews of radiotherapy services, and we will
continue to work with health services throughout the UK to ensure that new res for workforce
and treatment capacity are targeted on areas where there is inadequate access/service."
Notes
1. The paper, Geographical variation in radiotherapy services across the UK in 2007 and the impact
of deprivation, appears in the July 2009 edition of the Royal College of Radiologists" journal Clinical
Oncology; a copy of the paper can be provided on request. Clinical Oncology is the scientific journal
of the Royal College of Radiologist"s Faculty of Clinical Oncology, published ten times a year; more
information is available at http://www.rcr.ac.uk/content.aspx?PageID=153.
2. The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has approximately 7800 members and Fellows
worldwide, representing the disciplines of clinical oncology and clinical radiology. All members and
Fellows of the College are registered medical or dental practitioners.
3. The Cancer Reform Strategy was published in 2007, the same year as this survey, with
improvement of radiotherapy services as one of its key priorities, and new radiotherapy centres have
since been commissioned in some key places. Radiotherapy as a treatment is undergoing very rapid
technological advances, notably Intensity Modulated and Image Guided Radiotherapy (IMRT and
IGRT), that enable higher cure rates with fewer side effects. These higher quality treatment
techniques should be delivered at the same time as the introduction of greater treatment capacity.
The Royal College of Radiologists