SynthesisBMC cancer2017
The enablers, barriers and preferences of accessing radiation therapy facilities in the rural developed world - a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC cancer, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Barriers to Radiotherapy Access in Sub-Saharan Africa for Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to implementation of cancer treatment and palliative care strategies in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review.International journal of public health · 2018Pooled it
- Planning and deploying a remote satellite radiotherapy unit: a practical guide for clinicians and health administrators.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Review
- Radiation Therapy Fields of Dreams: We Built Them-But Did They Come?Journal of medical imaging and radiation oncology · 2026Article
- The influence of rural residency on the uptake of screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers in Scotland.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Impact of health system interventions to improve access to external beam radiotherapy: a scoping review.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Travel distance and potential disparities in palliative radiotherapy access for cancer patients in Victoria, Australia.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2025Article
- Artificial intelligence in radiation therapy treatment planning: A discrete choice experiment.Journal of medical radiation sciences · 2025Article
- Improving Access to Radiotherapy in Gauteng: A Framework for Equitable Cancer Care.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- A qualitative study of patient experiences: socioeconomic barriers to radiotherapy access in Gauteng, South Africa.Ecancermedicalscience · 2025Article
- Social accountability in a medical school: is it sufficient? A regional medical school curriculum and approaches to equip graduates for rural and remote medical services.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Expert consensus on the attributes and competencies required for rural and remote junior physicians to work effectively in isolated indonesian communities.Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice · 2024Article
- Improving Access to Cancer Treatment Services in Australia's Northern Territory-History and Progress.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Review
- A radiation therapist's guide to health literacy: A narrative review.Journal of medical radiation sciences · 2021Review
- Factors associated with the rural and remote practice of medical workforce in Maluku Islands of Indonesia: a cross-sectional study.Human resources for health · 2021Article
- Reconceptualising Rural Cancer Inequalities: Time for a New Research Agenda.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Radiation therapy for the elderly-change of concepts in breast cancer?Translational cancer research · 2020Review
- Coverage of cancer services in Australia and providers' views on service gaps: findings from a national cross-sectional survey.BMC cancer · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUtilisation of radiation therapy for regional Australia and around the world has been the focus of much health policy the last decade. Radiation therapy centres have been built in Australian regional and rural areas to improve access to radiation therapy and reduce the tyranny of distance as a barrier to access. After this the enablers, barriers and perceptions of patients has been evaluated to determine utilisation once centres have been built. Thisreview looks the impact of rural radiation services in the developed world, barriers and enablers of establishing a rural radiation centre, and patients' and service providers' perspectives and preferences around the uptake of rural radiation therapy.
methodsOnline search of peer reviewed literature was undertaken using MeSH terms relating to the topic. Inclusion criteria were regional radiation therapy centres in developing countries, any year of publication, in English, and qualitative or quantitative methodologies. Articles were reviewed by two authors with conflicts discussed with a third.
resultsTwenty three studies addressed the theme directly. Distance barriers have been overcome by building regional centres and health economic burden was lower for government service providers with this strategy. However distance still plays an important role in influencing uptake of radiation therapy. Cultural expectations, influence of the family doctor and perception of care was influential. Carer support, duration of displacement from home, financial impact of the required care and seasonal weather were practical factors on a patient's decision.
conclusionsRegional radiation therapy centres have improved access to radiation therapy in developing countries. However the complex nuances between socio-economic, cultural and health system factors that influence regional patient's decision making bears further consideration, as distance is not the only issue.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.