ArticleTechnical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology2020
Factors affecting radiotherapy utilisation in geriatric oncology patients in NSW, Australia.
Article in Technical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Value of Geographical Information Systems in Analyzing Geographic Accessibility to Inform Radiotherapy Planning: A Systematic Review.JCO global oncology · 2022Pooled it
- Radiotherapy and time to initial treatment following a cancer diagnosis among First Nations Australians: results from a population-based analysis.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Disparities in radiation therapy utilization for cancer patients in Victoria.Journal of medical imaging and radiation oncology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeLarge non-age-specific radiotherapy utilisation rate (RTU) studies have demonstrated that actual RTU is below the optimal recommended utilisation rate for both curative and palliative intent radiotherapy indications. The optimal utilisation rate for the geriatric oncology cohort of patients has not yet been determined. The purpose of this research was to examine the actual RTU for patients treated in New South Wales (NSW), Australia as a function of increasing age, and the relationship between RTU and tumour site, travelling distance and socio-economic status. MATERIALS &
methodsNSW Central Cancer Registry data (2009-2011) were linked to the NSW Radiotherapy Dataset (2009-2012). RTU was calculated for patients aged <80 years and ≥80 years. RTU was defined as the proportion of patients receiving at least a single course of radiotherapy within 12 months of a cancer diagnosis.
results110,645 patients were diagnosed with cancer, of whom 27,721 received at least one course of radiotherapy. The overall RTU was 25%. RTU for patients aged <80 years was 28% compared to 14% for patients aged 80+ years (p < 0.001). On both univariate and multivariate analysis, increasing age, residential address in disadvantaged socioeconomic areas and increasing distance to the nearest radiotherapy department were associated with a reduction in RTU.
conclusionGeriatric oncology patients are less likely to receive radiotherapy than their younger counterparts. Some of the reduction in RTU may be justifiable on the basis of limited life expectancy and co-morbidity. Further research is required to determine the co-morbidity adjusted optimal RTU in older patients.
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