Global Access to Radiotherapy in Low- and Middle-income Countries

Over the last 60 years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been working to introduce, expand and improve radiotherapy services, working with partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, care and control through collective action in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Lancet Oncology Commission on radiotherapy published a report that defined five calls for action to expand global access to radiotherapy, drawing on the previous work of the Global Taskforce on Radiotherapy for Cancer Control. The IAEA supports LMICs in the development of the required national infrastructure and regulatory authority for radiation and nuclear safety and in the training of human resources necessary for the provision of high-quality effective and safe radiation medicine services for the diagnosis, treatment and palliative care of cancer patients, helping in this way to address the different priorities outlined in the Lancet Commission report.