Sharma Divya K, Vangaveti Venkat N, Larkins Sarah
College of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Rural Remote Health. 2016 Jan-Mar;16(1):3640. Epub 2016 Mar 10.
Access to radiation therapy (RT) underlies optimal care for prostate and breast cancer patients. This study investigates the impact of opening a new RT clinic on distance and road travel time to RT, and overall utilisation for prostate and breast cancer patients over a 3-year period in North Queensland (NQ), Australia.
The study used retrospective audit of two radiotherapy databases and a geographic information system to illustrate patient origins and distance to the RT clinic used over 3 years. Prostate and female breast cancer patients were selected from the radiation oncology databases of The Townsville Hospital (TTH) and Radiation Oncology Queensland (ROQ) Cairns between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2013. Distance from a patient's home origin to the RT facility was mapped using a geographic information system (ArcGIS software), and travel time (minutes) and road distance (km) determined by Google Maps road directions.
Overall number of prostate and breast cancer patients treated by RT in Cairns and Townsville clinics increased by 16% in 2011-2012 and by 29% in 2012-2013 from year 1 values. In 2010, 44% of the patients travelled 200-400 km to RT, which reduced to 21% in 2013. By 2013, with a second treatment facility, more than 70% of patients lived within 200 km of an RT facility (p<0.0001). Total median road travel time reduced annually from 201 minutes in 2010-2011 to 66 minutes in 2011-2012 and 56 minutes in 2012-2013 (p<0.0001), corresponding to a decrease in the median distance travelled to an RT facility.
An additional RT facility in NQ has led to an increase in patients treated with RT for prostate and breast cancer and, on average, less travel distance and time to treatment, suggesting improvement in access to RT in NQ.
获得放射治疗是前列腺癌和乳腺癌患者获得最佳治疗的基础。本研究调查了在澳大利亚北昆士兰（NQ）开设一家新的放射治疗诊所对前往放射治疗的距离和道路行驶时间的影响，以及在三年期间前列腺癌和乳腺癌患者的总体利用率。
该研究对两个放射治疗数据库进行回顾性审计，并使用地理信息系统来说明患者来源以及三年内使用的放射治疗诊所的距离。2010年7月1日至2013年6月30日期间，从汤斯维尔医院（TTH）和昆士兰放射肿瘤学（ROQ）凯恩斯的放射肿瘤学数据库中选取前列腺癌和女性乳腺癌患者。使用地理信息系统（ArcGIS软件）绘制从患者家庭所在地到放射治疗设施的距离，并通过谷歌地图道路方向确定行驶时间（分钟）和道路距离（公里）。
凯恩斯和汤斯维尔诊所接受放射治疗的前列腺癌和乳腺癌患者总数在2011 - 2012年比第一年增加了16%，在2012 - 2013年比第一年增加了29%。2010年，44%的患者前往放射治疗的距离为200 - 400公里，到2013年这一比例降至21%。到2013年，由于有了第二个治疗设施，超过70%的患者居住在距离放射治疗设施200公里以内（p<0.0001）。总中位道路行驶时间从2010 - 2011年的201分钟逐年减少到2011 - 2012年的66分钟和2012 - 2013年的56分钟（p<0.0001），这与前往放射治疗设施的中位距离减少相对应。
北昆士兰增设的放射治疗设施导致接受放射治疗的前列腺癌和乳腺癌患者增加，并且平均而言，前往治疗的距离和时间减少，这表明北昆士兰在获得放射治疗方面有所改善。
