Japanese structure survey of radiation oncology in 2007 (First report)

A national structure survey of radiation oncology in 2007 using questionnaires was conducted from March 2008 to January 2009 by JASTRO. The response rate was 721 out of 765 (94.2%) active radiotherapy institutes. The total number of new cancer patients and the total number of cancer patients (new+repeat) treated with radiation were estimated to be approximately 181,000 and 218,000, respectively. The numbers of linac, telecobalt, Gamma Knife®, ⁶⁰Co RALS, and ¹⁹²Ir RALS in actual use were 807, 15,46,45, and 123, respectively. The linac has a dual energy function in 539 (66.8%), 3DCRT in 555 (68.8%), and IMRT in 235 (29.1%). The numbers of JASTRO-certified radiation oncologists, full time equivalent (FTE) radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiotherapy QA personnel, radiation therapists, radiation therapy nurses, and clerks were 477,826 FTE, 64 FTE, 106 FTE, 1,634 FTE, 494 FTE, and 329, respectively. There were significant increases in the use of ¹²⁵I for prostate cancer patients by 52% and IMRT by 271% between 2005 and 2007. Geographically, there was still a significant variation in the use of radiotherapy from 0.8 new patients per 1,000 population to 1.8 (average 1.3).