Globally, new cancer cases will rise by 57% within the next two\ndecades, with the majority in the low- and middle-income countries\n(LMICs). Consequently, a steep increase of about 40% in cancer\ndeaths is expected there, mainly because of lack of treatment facilities,\nespecially radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is required for more than 50%\nof patients, but the capital cost for equipment often deters establishment\nof such facilities in LMICs. Presently, of the 139 LMICs, 55 do\nnot even have a radiotherapy facility, whereas the remaining 84 have\na deficit of 61.4% of their required radiotherapy units. Networking\nbetween centers could enhance the effectiveness and reach of existing\nradiotherapy in LMICs. A teleradiotherapy network could enable\ncenters to share and optimally utilize their resources, both infrastructure\nand staffing. This could be in the form of a three-tier radiotherapy\nservice consisting of primary, secondary, and tertiary\nradiotherapy centers interlinked through a network. The concept has\nbeen adopted in some LMICs and could also be used as a ââ?¬Ë?ââ?¬Ë?service\nprovider model,ââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬â?¢ thereby reducing the investments to set up such a\nnetwork. Teleradiotherapy networks could be a part of the multi pronged\napproach to address the enormous gap in radiotherapy services\nin a cost-effective manner and to support better accessibility to\nradiotherapy facilities, especially for LMICs.
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