Dr Mary Gospodarowicz, President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) , discusses accessibility to radiotherapy throughout the world and a taskforce, along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that has been established to evaluate and improve access.

Currently, the supply of radiotherapy services falls short of demand in many parts of the world including many of high income countries. However, the shortage is so pronounced in low and middle income countries that it precludes radiotherapy from being considered as part of cancer management. Fiscal constraints and the pressure to treat as many patients as possible may lead to cost cutting initiatives which in turn may result in compromised staffing levels, limited facilities and less attention to the quality.