The UK needs “urgent” investment in high precision radiotherapy to provide alternatives to surgery and chemotherapy, experts say today.
The treatment can be safer for some patients while pandemic risk continues, reducing pressures on hospitals and suppression of the immune system, according to London’s Institute of Cancer Research.
The Institute said there was a lack of public understanding of the potential of modern radiotherapy – and that government investment would help boost confidence in treatments.
In many parts of the country there are shortages of equipment and properly trained staff or access to clinical trials, according to the Institute.
The proposals come following a survey of more than 2,000 members of the general public, of whom just 8% regarded radiotherapy as a cutting edge treatment. Recognition of other new treatments, such as targeted drugs, immunotherapy and proton beam therapy was much higher – at between 40 and 60%.
A second survey of 500 patients found difficulty in access – with nearly 25% having to travel more than 20 miles for treatment, including many living in urban areas.
Professor Kevin Harrington, head of radiotherapy at The Institute, said:
“Radiotherapy has an absolutely crucial role to play during the pandemic. Some radiotherapy regimens can now be given effectively over a much shorter period of time, limiting cancer patients’ exposure to the risk of contracting Covid-19 and helping relieve pressures on the NHS. Increased access to radiotherapy can be key in tackling the huge backlog of cancer care that has built up over the last year.
“We are urging the Government to invest in radiotherapy, for the immediate benefit of cancer patients during the pandemic, and in the long term to put in place access to clinical trials and new radiotherapy technologies in every part of the UK.
“Radiotherapy is the unsung hero of cancer treatments but so often it isn’t seen as a funding priority. We have to address radiotherapy’s PR problem, persuade patients that this treatment is cutting edge and highly sophisticated, and put in place systems to support nationwide clinical trials and the rollout of new technologies.”
Leave a Reply