title: The impact of cancer incidence and stage on optimal utilization of radiotherapy: Methodology of a population based analysis by the ESTRO-HERO project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The impact of differences in the distribution of major cancer sites and stages at diagnosis among 4 European countries on the optimal utilization proportion (OUP) of patients who should receive external beam radiotherapy was assessed within the framework of the ESTRO-HERO project.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from Australian Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CCORE) were used. Population based stages at diagnosis from the cancer registries of Belgium, Slovenia, the Greater Poland region of Poland, and The Netherlands were used to assess the OUP for each country. A sensitivity analysis was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall OUP by country varied from the lowest of 48.3% in Australia to the highest of 53.4% in Poland; among European countries the variation was limited to 3%. Cancer site specific OUPs showed differences according to the variability in stage at diagnosis across countries. The most important impact on the OUP by country was due to changes in relative frequency of tumours rather than stage at diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This methodology can be adapted using European data, thus facilitating the planning of resources required to cope with the demand for radiotherapy in Europe, taking into account the national variability in cancer incidence.
authors.affiliation: University of Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: jmborras@iconcologia.net.
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Borras
authors.affiliation: CCORE, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, UNSW, Liverpool, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.affiliation: Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: Cai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grau
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Programme in Public Health, Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Julieta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corral
authors.affiliation: The Netherlands Cancer registry/Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.affiliation: The Netherlands Cancer registry/Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Valery
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lemmens
authors.affiliation: Belgian Cancer Registry, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Liesbet
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Eycken
authors.affiliation: Belgian Cancer Registry, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Henau
authors.affiliation: Cancer registry, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Primic-Zakelj
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Primoz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strojan
authors.affiliation: Cancer Registry, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trojanowski
authors.affiliation: Cancer Registry, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dyzmann-Sroka
authors.affiliation: Cancer Registry, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubiak
authors.affiliation: European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, Belgium.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gasparotto
authors.affiliation: European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, Belgium.
authors.forename: Noemie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Defourny
authors.affiliation: Electroradiology Dep. University of Medical Sciences, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Malicki
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dunscombe
authors.affiliation: Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.affiliation: Ghent University Hospital, Belgium.
authors.forename: Yolande
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lievens
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Cancer incidence; Cancer registry; Optimal utilization; Radiotherapy; Stage