Radiotherapy, also known as radiation therapy, uses ionizing radiations that deliver targeted beams of radiation to kill and destroy cancer cells. The advanced technology used in radiotherapy works by bombarding cancerous cells with radiation to kill them, while minimizing damage to the healthy cells around them. Radiotherapy is the most potent and cost-effective treatment for cancer, and when integrated with advanced technologies such as image guided therapy, leads to enhanced control over tumor and toxicity.
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Several types of radiotherapies such as external beam radiation therapy, internal beam radiation therapy/ brachytherapy, and systemic radiation therapy, are available to combat various types of cancers prevalent globally. External beam radiation therapy is used to treat various types of cancers, including brain tumors, bladder cancer, and bone cancers. Brachytherapy is often used to treat cancers of the head and neck, breast, cervix, prostate, and eye, while systemic radiation therapy is often used to treat certain types of thyroid cancers using radioactive iodine.
Rising prevalence of oncology diseases such as prostate cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer, globally is increasing the demand for timely management to reduce mortality associated with such conditions. This in turn, is a major factor augmenting growth of the radiotherapy market. The International Cancer Association, 2014, states that cancer kills more people every year than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. This indicated the growing demand for adopting advanced technologies for cancer management.
According to the World Cancer Research Fund Organization, 2015, lung cancer is among the most prevalent cancers worldwide contributing 1.9 million or 13% of the total number of new cases diagnosed in 2012. It further states that breast cancer is the second most common cancer prevalent among women, with 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012. Moreover, increasing prevalence of cancer among children is expected to increase the demand for radiation therapy, as it is a highly recommended therapy due to fewer adverse effects associated with it than chemotherapy to accelerate growth of the market as considering the major adverse effects of chemotherapy. According to the International Union against Cancer (UICC) Report, 2017, around 160,000 children are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer and at least 90,000 children are estimated to die of cancer globally.