Abstract
IntroductionRadiation therapy (RT) is effective treatment for curing and palliating cancer, yet concern exists that not all Canadians for whom RT is indicated receive it. Many factors may contribute to suboptimal use of RT. A review of recent Canadian literature was undertaken to identify such barriers.MethodsMEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBase databases were used to search keywords relating to barriers to accessing or utilizing RT in Canada. Collected abstracts were reviewed independently. Barriers identified in relevant articles were categorized as relating to the health systems, patient socio-demographic, patient factors, or provider factors contexts and thematic analysis performed for each context.Results535 unique abstracts were collected. 75 met inclusion criteria. 46 (61.3%) addressed multiple themes. The most cited barriers to accessing RT when indicated were patient age (n = 26, 34.7%), distance to treatment centre (n = 23, 30.7%), wait times (n = 22, 29.3%), and lack of physician understanding about the use of RT (n = 16, 21.6%).ConclusionsBarriers to RT are reported in many areas. The role of provider factors and the lack of attention to patient fears and mistrust as potential barriers were unexpected findings demanding further attention. Solutions should be sought to overcome identified barriers facilitating more effective cancer care for Canadians.
Highlights
Radiation therapy (RT) is effective treatment for curing and palliating cancer, yet concern exists that not all Canadians for whom RT is indicated receive it
In a 2009 Cancer System Quality Index (CSQI) report, Ontario adopted a benchmark for RT utilization, based on the estimate that 48% of those receiving a cancer diagnosis would require RT at some point in the course of their disease [1,2]
Many related to psychosocial concerns of patients already receiving radiation therapy, practice patterns concerning dose and fractionation schedules, and cost analyses of RT provision
Summary
Radiation therapy (RT) is effective treatment for curing and palliating cancer, yet concern exists that not all Canadians for whom RT is indicated receive it. A review of recent Canadian literature was undertaken to identify such barriers. Radiation therapy (RT) is a highly effective treatment modality to cure and palliate cancer. In a 2009 Cancer System Quality Index (CSQI) report, Ontario adopted a benchmark for RT utilization, based on the estimate that 48% of those receiving a cancer diagnosis would require RT at some point in the course of their disease [1,2]. In order to better understand barriers to access and use of this important cancer treatment modality, a review of the recent Canadian literature was undertaken. Kerba M, et al: Defining the Need for Breast Cancer Radiotherapy in the General Population: a Criterion-based Benchmarking Approach.
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