Interpreting Future Impacts of the Trends

Radiotherapy service planning should consider the changing demographics of the Australian population as well as increasing cancer incidence and prevalence of individual types of cancer. The impact of investment in cancer prevention and early detection will become more apparent in the coming years. The adoption of new radiotherapy treatment techniques and technologies into service delivery will be continuous and require investment in human and financial resources, but these treatment advances will improve overall patient outcomes. Personalised medicine will strain the health sector including radiation oncology as increased resources and planning time are required for this approach. However the improved quality of survivorship will result in long term economic gains. The management of radiotherapy waiting times will remain an issue. Further investment in telemedicine will reduce the need for face-to-face follow-up attendances and lead to innovative practices.