Postgraduate Education in Radiation Oncology in Low- and Middle-income Countries

Abstract

Radiation therapy is one of the most cost-effective ways to treat cancer patients on both a curative and palliative basis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite this, the gap in radiation oncology capacity is enormous and is even increasing due to a rapid rise in the incidence of cancer cases in LMICs. The urgent need for radiotherapy resources in terms of bunkers and megavoltage machines is important, but equally important is the tremendous lack of properly educated health care professionals. This includes not just medical doctors, but also medical physicists, radiation therapists and nurses, as well as other supporting health care personnel. This overview discusses different ways to develop the standard setting of postgraduate specialist training and continuous medical education in LMICs.