It also encourages governments and policymakers, healthcare professionals, patient and professional societies, and national and international research funds, and all other stakeholders to become so-called “radiotherapy ambassadors” to help in raising awareness of the positive outcomes provided by radiotherapy as a comprehensive, optimal cancer care.

"Multidisciplinary cancer care teams across Europe need to fully integrate radiotherapy into treatment planning. There needs to be greater emphasis on cross-disciplinary training programs throughout the care team – as well as consistent training for all professionals, using the ESTRO core curricula," Yolande Lievens, former ESTRO president and chair of the radiation oncology department at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium, told HCB News. "In the rest of the world, particularly in developing countries, including parts of Africa, basic investment in resources is largely absent – with some countries having no access to radiotherapy at all. We need to ensure that we raise awareness of the benefits of radiotherapy internationally and ensure cancer patients, wherever they live, get the best possible care."

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