Cancer care: ICMR flags shortfall in radiotherapy use

A recent ICMR study has highlighted a substantial shortfall in radiotherapy utilisation across all cancer types and underscored the need for interventions to meet the gap in machines required for equitable cancer care.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Published in the BMC Cancer journal, the study stated that 28.5 per cent of cancer patients receive radiotherapy, which is lower than the estimated optimal rate of 58.4 per cent. Breast, head and neck, lung and cervical cancer account for 60 per cent of India’s radiotherapy needs, it said.

Data from the Australian Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CCORE) were used by the researchers of ICMR-National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research, Bangalore, for conducting the study.