Clinical Utilization and Infrastructure of Radiation Therapy in Korea in 2020 and 2021

Background/Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical status of radiation therapy (RT), including the RT utilization (RTU) rate and infrastructure of RT in Korea in 2020 and 2021.

Patients and Methods: Patient data for individuals undergoing RT in 2020 and 2021 were sourced from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Through these data, we assessed the following aspects: total number of patients who received RT in 2020 and 2021, RTU rate for patients with cancer, RTU rate by cancer diagnosis, number of patients treated with RT by age, RT rate by region, rate of hypofractionated RT for breast cancer, and RT by specific modality.

Results: In 2020 and 2021, 90,351 and 97,840 patients, respectively, underwent RT in Korea, indicating an annual increase in treatment frequency. The RTU rates for patients with cancer were 32.8% in 2020 and 31.7% in 2021. Breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, and liver cancer were the most commonly treated types, with prostate cancer showing the most rapid growth in RTU rate. The adoption of intensity-modulated RT is swiftly replacing conventional RT, and there continues to be a concentration of RT services in Seoul. Hypofractionated RT for breast cancer saw a steady increase, with rates rising from 23.5% in 2017 to 38.6% in 2020. As the total number of patients receiving RT increased, the number of RT centers, machines, and human resources in radiation oncology departments nationwide also steadily increased.

Conclusion: The number of patients in Korea treated with RT has been consistently increasing, with corresponding expansion in RT infrastructure and application of high-precision techniques. The utilization of hypofractionated RT has demonstrated an increasing trend in breast cancer cases and is anticipated to continue expanding in the future.