Our summary of the key points from a recent patterns of care survey measuring radiotherapy use for benign diseases in Turkey
The recent article Radiotherapy for benign diseases in Turkey: a patterns of care survey of the Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology (TROD 05-002) provides an interesting insight into the use of radiotherapy to treat benign diseases in the country — including its uptake and barriers.
A questionnaire survey was sent to all radiation oncology departments in Turkey to investigate the patterns of radiotherapy care in cases of benign diseases.
Here’s a summary of our key takeaways:
From those that responded, 130,846 patients were treated with radiotherapy in these departments. However only 6,346 patients (4.85% of the total) were were treated for benign conditions
Of the benign diseases treated, the most common were: meningioma (35%), plantar fasciitis (19%), schwannoma (16%), arteriovenous malformation (11%), and pituitary adenoma (7%)
Of the patients who underwent radiotherapy for benign diseases, the commonest indication in 72% of patients was radiosurgery for intracranial benign disease
The article goes on to note that, as is the case with other countries, these figures lag behind Germany, where radiotherapy treatment for benign diseases is more common.
In addition, the authors observe that despite various treatment centres reporting experiences with age-related macular degeneration, desmoid tumour, plantar fasciitis, and vertebral hemangioma, radiotherapy applications for these diseases have tended to decrease in recent years.
The article describes the reasons for this as:
The lack of adequate randomised studies in the field
Concern for radiation-induced secondary malignancy
Advances in other forms of treatment
Lack of awareness of radiotherapy for benign diseases among radiation oncologists and other specialists
The article also mentions what is being done to raise awareness of this treatment modality, including:
The publication of a review by The Royal College of Radiologists, intended for use as a manual by clinicians in the UK
The recent publication in the International Journal of Radiation, Biology and Physics of a review of the use of low-dose radiotherapy in osteoarthritis in the US, emphasising the need for additional investigations in to the potential role of radiotherapy
A practical proposal for a radiotherapy CT-based contouring atlas for non-malignant skeletal and soft tissue disorders in the British Journal of Radiology#
The founding of the IORBC, with the objective of raising awareness of radiotherapy for benign conditions
Read the full article here:
Source:
Yıldırım, H.C., Dinçbaş, F.Ö., Demircan, V. et al. Radiotherapy for benign diseases in Turkey: a patterns of care survey of the Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology (TROD 05-002). Strahlenther Onkol (2023).