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Challenges and Prospects for Providing Radiotherapy Services in Nepal

Received: 14 March 2022     Accepted: 30 March 2022     Published: 9 April 2022
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Abstract

In Nepal, the incidence of cancer in both males and females increased drastically in the last decade and is predicted to increase as well in the near future. The increase in Cancer burden could be a serious concern due to an underdeveloped national cancer control program. Around 50–60% of cancer patients require radiotherapy at some point during their illness which establishes it as an integral component of comprehensive cancer care. The current status of radiation facilities in the country is so scarce that it will be impossible to address the issue with available resources. It is high time for the authority to formulate a national cancer control program including the development of radiotherapy equipment and human resources. This article discusses the number of radiotherapy facilities, available equipment, and trained manpower in Nepal. Whether the available facilities are as per standard recommendation and will those be enough to handle the increasing load of cancer patients requiring radiotherapy in the future has been emphasized. Along with those challenges, the opportunities for developing radiotherapy facilities in Low Middle-Income countries like Nepal have been stressed out.

Published in International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research (Volume 7, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11
Page(s) 17-20
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Radiotherapy in Nepal, Challenges, Opportunities

References
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  • APA Style

    Saloni Chawla, Subhash Thakur. (2022). Challenges and Prospects for Providing Radiotherapy Services in Nepal. International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research, 7(2), 17-20. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11

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    ACS Style

    Saloni Chawla; Subhash Thakur. Challenges and Prospects for Providing Radiotherapy Services in Nepal. Int. J. Clin. Oncol. Cancer Res. 2022, 7(2), 17-20. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11

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    AMA Style

    Saloni Chawla, Subhash Thakur. Challenges and Prospects for Providing Radiotherapy Services in Nepal. Int J Clin Oncol Cancer Res. 2022;7(2):17-20. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11,
      author = {Saloni Chawla and Subhash Thakur},
      title = {Challenges and Prospects for Providing Radiotherapy Services in Nepal},
      journal = {International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research},
      volume = {7},
      number = {2},
      pages = {17-20},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijcocr.20220702.11},
      abstract = {In Nepal, the incidence of cancer in both males and females increased drastically in the last decade and is predicted to increase as well in the near future. The increase in Cancer burden could be a serious concern due to an underdeveloped national cancer control program. Around 50–60% of cancer patients require radiotherapy at some point during their illness which establishes it as an integral component of comprehensive cancer care. The current status of radiation facilities in the country is so scarce that it will be impossible to address the issue with available resources. It is high time for the authority to formulate a national cancer control program including the development of radiotherapy equipment and human resources. This article discusses the number of radiotherapy facilities, available equipment, and trained manpower in Nepal. Whether the available facilities are as per standard recommendation and will those be enough to handle the increasing load of cancer patients requiring radiotherapy in the future has been emphasized. Along with those challenges, the opportunities for developing radiotherapy facilities in Low Middle-Income countries like Nepal have been stressed out.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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    T1  - Challenges and Prospects for Providing Radiotherapy Services in Nepal
    AU  - Saloni Chawla
    AU  - Subhash Thakur
    Y1  - 2022/04/09
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    T2  - International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research
    JF  - International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research
    JO  - International Journal of Clinical Oncology and Cancer Research
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcocr.20220702.11
    AB  - In Nepal, the incidence of cancer in both males and females increased drastically in the last decade and is predicted to increase as well in the near future. The increase in Cancer burden could be a serious concern due to an underdeveloped national cancer control program. Around 50–60% of cancer patients require radiotherapy at some point during their illness which establishes it as an integral component of comprehensive cancer care. The current status of radiation facilities in the country is so scarce that it will be impossible to address the issue with available resources. It is high time for the authority to formulate a national cancer control program including the development of radiotherapy equipment and human resources. This article discusses the number of radiotherapy facilities, available equipment, and trained manpower in Nepal. Whether the available facilities are as per standard recommendation and will those be enough to handle the increasing load of cancer patients requiring radiotherapy in the future has been emphasized. Along with those challenges, the opportunities for developing radiotherapy facilities in Low Middle-Income countries like Nepal have been stressed out.
    VL  - 7
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Author Information
  • Department of Radiation Oncology, Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur, Nepal

  • Department of Radiation Oncology, Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur, Nepal

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