Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer in Asia

Radiation therapy is one of the main treatment methods for cancer. Although radiation therapy is widely used in high-income Asian countries, its use is not sufficiently widespread in low- and middle-income countries in the region. Large discrepancies are also observed between the estimated need for radiation therapy and its supply in most Asian countries, especially in low-and middle-income countries. Various radiation therapy projects have been conducted under the IAEA/RCA framework for more than 30 years. In addition, FNCA has contributed to improving the quality of radiation therapy and to improving treatment outcomes for predominant cancers in Asia. The IAEA and Japan have been taking the lead in promoting radiation therapy in Asia for the past 30 years. Improving the imbalance in the use of radiation therapy within each country is an important issue for the future. To achieve this, human resource exchange across countries and human resource development need to be continued through activities such as FARO and IAEA/RCA. Regarding radiation therapy equipment, which is still expensive, we hope that companies will develop radiation therapy equipment that is easier to introduce by optimizing its functions to suit the real-world conditions in Asia.