Global access to radiotherapy: A geospatial analysis of current disparities and optimal facility placement

Geographic access to radiation therapy facilities remains a critical challenge in global cancer care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although radiotherapy is essential for most cancer patients, global patterns of accessibility and strategies to improve them remain poorly understood. Our aim was to conduct a comprehensive global assessment of geographic accessibility to radiotherapy and to identify optimal locations for new facilities.

We conducted a geospatial analysis combining locations of international radiotherapy centers from the International Atomic Energy Agency Directory of Radiotherapy Centers with global administrative boundaries for 178,218 subregions, population density data, and road network information. We calculated population coverage within specific travel time thresholds and developed an optimization model to identify optimal locations for new facilities to maximize population coverage within 120 min of travel time.

Currently, 76.3% of the global population has access to radiotherapy within 120 min, with substantial disparities across World Bank income groups: 17.1% in low-income countries, compared to 73.4% in lower-middle-income, 85.0% in upper-middle-income, and 93.1% in high-income countries. Strategic placement of just 100 new centers worldwide would increase global coverage to 82.1%, while 500 new centers by 2050 would mitigate the projected widening of access disparities driven by the rise in cancer incidence in LMICs.

Our findings reveal significant geographic disparities in radiotherapy access and demonstrate that the targeted placement of a relatively modest number of new centers could substantially improve global accessibility, particularly in underserved regions where the cancer burden is projected to increase most rapidly.