This is a key moment for radiotherapy in the UK. The most recent quarterly wait times for cancer treatment are the longest on record, yet we have this incredible treatment and workforce just crying out for investment. With the launch of this report we hope to draw attention to other comparable countries that are doing just that, and show what can be achieved for patients.
Today, Radiotherapy UK launches a shocking report showing how UK radiotherapy services are lagging behind treatment in comparable countries.
To mark the findings, the charity and its #CatchUpWithCancerCampaign, supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy, will hold a special radiotherapy event at Westminster Hall.
Representatives and clinicians from the sector will show how radiotherapy technology is being used effectively in other countries; and how this could boost cancer treatment performance in the UK.
Radiotherapy is the second most effective cancer treatment, the most cost effective: needed in 50% of treatments for cancer patients and 40% of cancer cures.
Charity director Sarah Quinlan MBE, said: “This is really a key moment for radiotherapy in the UK. The most recent quarterly wait times for cancer treatment are the longest on record, yet we have this incredible treatment and workforce just crying out for investment. With the launch of this report we hope to draw attention to other comparable countries that are doing just that, and show what can be achieved for patients.
“We are calling out for decision makers to join us and bring world-class radiotherapy treatment to the UK.”
Here are the analysis findings in brief:
- Internationally accepted standards state that 50% of cancer patients in the UK should have access to radiotherapy as part of their primary treatment. In 2019 only 24-27% of patients in the UK accessed radiotherapy
- The UK ranked 13 out of 28 European countries for number of radiotherapy machines per capita, with only 4.8 LINACS per million population. Countries of similar population size have many more LINACs available per capita
- Department of Health recommendations state that every patient should have access to a radiotherapy centre within 45 minutes travel time. In England, 3.4 million people live further away than this
- Radiotherapy receives only around 5% of the cancer budget in the UK. Annual expenses for radiotherapy in Europe, including capital investment, represent between 4·3% and 12·3% of the cancer care budget, with an average between 10% and 12% in Western European countries
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported that UK death rates from cancer were still much higher than the international average in 2019
- A Lancet Oncology editorial described the UK as a “poor performer in cancer care compared with other European countries
