Current status of brachytherapy in Korea: a national survey of radiation oncologists

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to acquire information on brachytherapy resources in Korea through a national survey of radiation oncologists.MethodsBetween October 2014 and January 2015, a questionnaire on the current status of brachytherapy was distributed to all 86 radiation oncology departments in Korea. The questionnaire was divided into sections querying general information on human resources, brachytherapy equipment, and suggestions for future directions of brachytherapy policy in Korea.ResultsThe response rate of the survey was 88.3%. The average number of radiation oncologists per center was 2.3. At the time of survey, 28 centers (36.8%) provided brachytherapy to patients. Among the 28 brachytherapy centers, 15 (53.5%) were located in in the capital Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan areas. All brachytherapy centers had a high-dose rate system using 192Ir (26 centers) or 60Co (two centers). Among the 26 centers using 192Ir sources, 11 treated fewer than 40 patients per year. In the two centers using 60Co sources, the number of patients per year was 16 and 120, respectively. The most frequently cited difficulties in performing brachytherapy were cost related. A total of 21 centers had a plan to sustain the current brachytherapy system, and four centers noted plans to upgrade their brachytherapy system. Two centers stated that they were considering discontinuation of brachytherapy due to cost burdens of radioisotope source replacement.ConclusionThe present study illustrated the current status of brachytherapy in Korea. Financial difficulties were the major barriers to the practice of brachytherapy.

Management for locally advanced cervical cancer: new trends and controversial issues

“…In Korea, number of BT centers compared with radiation oncology centers have decreased since 2006 due to low medical reimbursement, expensive source, and shortage of human resources [69]. Seven of 42 centers that did not practice BT treated some patients with EBRT alone.…”

“…Surgical staging before definitive https://doi.org/10.3857/roj.2018.00500 chemoradiotherapy is also an acceptable approach to detect intra-abdominal disease and for pathologic assessment or debulking of pelvic and/or PALNs. They recommended EBRT to deliver 45 Gy to the initial target volume with an additional boost to the involved nodes (60)(61)(62)(63)(64)(65)(66)(67)(68)(69)(70) Gy in a combination of EBRT and BT). In addition, the OTT should be limited to 8 weeks.…”

Practice guidelines for management of uterine corpus cancer in Korea: a Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology Consensus Statement

“…In the PORTEC-2 study, there was no difference in relapse rates and the improvement of quality of life with brachytherapy instead of pelvic RT in patients with endometrial cancer with a high risk and moderate risk factors [3940]. However, in Korea, institutions that can perform vaginal brachytherapy are relatively limited [41]. In view of these points, the practice guidelines for management of uterine corpus cancer in Korea (V2.0, KSGO 2016 edition; KSGO, Seoul, Korea) include observation (no adjuvant therapy), vaginal brachytherapy, and pelvic RT as the appropriate adjuvant therapy for patients with early-stage endometrial cancer and risk factors.…”

Impact of adjuvant hysterectomy on prognosis in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy: a meta-analysis

“…However, in 2012, there were approximately 528,000 new cases and 266,000 cervical cancer-associated deaths worldwide [ 1 ]. In Korea, it is the most common female genital malignancy, and in 2013, the age-standardized incidence rate was 9.5 cases per 100,000 women [ 2 3 ].…”