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Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Author Spotlight: Improving Radiation Therapy Access with Radiation Planning Assistant
Published on: October 6, 2023
Harnessing progress in radiotherapy for global cancer control
David A Jaffray1, Felicia Knaul2, Michael Baumann3
1Departments of Radiation Physics and Imaging Physics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. dajaffray@mdanderson.org.
Abstract:
The pace of technological innovation over the past three decades has transformed the field of radiotherapy into one of the most technologically intense disciplines in medicine. However, the global barriers to access this highly effective treatment are complex and extend beyond technological limitations. Here, we review the technological advancement and current status of radiotherapy and discuss the efforts of the global radiation oncology community to formulate a more integrative 'diagonal approach' in which the agendas of science-driven advances in individual outcomes and the sociotechnological task of global cancer control can be aligned to bring the benefit of this proven therapy to patients with cancer everywhere.
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