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 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:

Radiotherapy for benign diseases in Turkey: a patterns of care survey of the Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology (TROD 05-002)

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).