Japanese Structure Survey of Radiation Oncology in 2007 Based on Institutional Stratification of Patterns of Care Study
- Department of Medical Physics and Engineering, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita (Japan)
- Department of Radiology, Tokyo Dental and Medical University, Tokyo (Japan)
- Department of Radiology, National Hospital Organization Hokkaido Cancer Center, Sapporo (Japan)
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sakai Municipal Hospital, Sakai (Japan)
- Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo (Japan)
- Department of Radiology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya (Japan)
- Oncology Center, Osaka University Hospital, Suita (Japan)
- Department of Radiology, Toho University Omori Medical Center, Tokyo (Japan)
- Department of Medical Informatics, Heavy Ion Medical Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan)
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Saitama (Japan)
- Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo (Japan)
- Department of Radiology, Kyushu University Hospital at Beppu, Oita (Japan)
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-applied Therapy, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan)
- Division of Radiation Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka (Japan)
- Department of Radiology, Sapporo Medical University, Hokkaido (Japan)
Purpose: To evaluate the ongoing structure of radiation oncology in Japan in terms of equipment, personnel, patient load, and geographic distribution to identify and improve any deficiencies. Methods and Materials: A questionnaire-based national structure survey was conducted from March to December 2008 by the Japanese Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (JASTRO). These data were analyzed in terms of the institutional stratification of the Patterns of Care Study. Results: The total numbers of new cancer patients and total cancer patients (new and repeat) treated with radiation in 2007 were estimated at 181,000 and 218,000, respectively. There were 807 linear accelerator, 15 telecobalt, 46 Gamma Knife, 45 {sup 60}Co remote-controlled after-loading, and 123 {sup 192}Ir remote-controlled after-loading systems in actual use. The linear accelerator systems used dual-energy function in 539 units (66.8%), three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy in 555 (68.8%), and intensity-modulated radiation therapy in 235 (29.1%). There were 477 JASTRO-certified radiation oncologists, 826.3 full-time equivalent (FTE) radiation oncologists, 68.4 FTE medical physicists, and 1,634 FTE radiation therapists. The number of interstitial radiotherapy (RT) administrations for prostate, stereotactic body radiotherapy, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy increased significantly. Patterns of Care Study stratification can clearly identify the maturity of structures based on their academic nature and caseload. Geographically, the more JASTRO-certified physicians there were in a given area, the more RT tended to be used for cancer patients. Conclusions: The Japanese structure has clearly improved during the past 17 years in terms of equipment and its use, although a shortage of personnel and variations in maturity disclosed by Patterns of Care Study stratification were still problematic in 2007.
- OSTI ID:
- 21491518
- Journal Information:
- International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Vol. 78, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.10.019; PII: S0360-3016(09)03410-5; Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0360-3016
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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