The White Paper in Radiotherapy - PDF Version

Raising awareness of the benefits of radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is undervalued and needs greater investment, according to our newly published report. Entitled Radiotherapy: seizing the opportunity in cancer care, the White Paper recommends a five-point plan to boost uptake of radiotherapy, and calls on all stakeholders – governments and policymakers, healthcare professionals, patients and professional societies, along with national and international research funds – to become ‘radiotherapy ambassadors’ to help raise awareness of the benefits of radiotherapy and secure its valuable position in comprehensive, optimal cancer care.

The report’s authors cite shortages of high-quality equipment, variations in training, insufficient integration of radiotherapy into treatment plans, lack of investment in research, lack of general understanding of radiotherapy as a cancer treatment and misconceptions regarding the safety of radiotherapy among the important factors that contribute to radiotherapy’s poor image and underuse.

The report has been launched to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Marie Curie, as part of the Marie Curie Legacy Campaign launched in 2017. Marie Curie pioneered research into ionising radiation, which laid the foundation for the use of radiation in cancer treatment. Download the White Paper.

Since its publication, the White Paper has been endorsed by many organisations that are active in the fight against cancer and national societies of radiotherapists and similar professionals from around the world.

Arta Leci
Project Manager
ESTRO Cancer Foundation