1 research outputs found
Availability of technology for managing cancer patients in the Southeast European (SEE) region
Background: The Southeast European (SEE) region of 10 countries and about 43 million people differs from
Western Europe in that most SEE countries lack active cancer registries and have fewer diagnostic imaging
devices and radiotherapy (RT) units. The main objective of this research is to initiate a common platform for
gathering SEE regional cancer data from the ground up to help these countries develop common cancer management strategies.
Methods: To obtain detailed on-the-ground information, we developed separate questionnaires for two SEE
groups: a) ONCO - oncologists regarding cancer treatment modalities and the availability of diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy equipment; and b) REG - national radiation protection and safety regulatory bodies regarding
diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy equipment in SEE facilities.
Results: Based on responses from 13/17 ONCO participants (at least one from each country) and from 9/10 REG
participants (all countries but Albania), cancer incidence rates are higher in those SEE countries that have greater
access to diagnostic imaging equipment while cancer mortality-to-incidence (MIR) ratios are higher in countries
that lack radiotherapy equipment.
Conclusion: By combining unique SEE region information with data available from major global databases, we
demonstrated that the availability of diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy equipment in the SEE countries is
related to their economic development. While immediate diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy capacity
building is necessary, it is also essential to develop both national and SEE-regional cancer registries in order to
understand the heterogeneity of each country’s needs and to establish regional collaborative strategies for
combating cancer