Department of Radiation Oncology, Pediatrics, and History, New York Medical College and the Touro College and University System, Valhalla, New York.
Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 May;68 Suppl 2:e28686. doi: 10.1002/pbc.28686. Epub 2020 Sep 29.
This commentary addresses two problems facing pediatric radiation oncology: workforce education and the cost of technology. The tools of economics can help us understand these problems. Because cancer in children is relatively infrequent and the role of pediatric radiotherapy (RT) is limited, there are a small number of cases of children requiring RT in the US compared to the number of radiation oncology trainees. This creates a paucity of necessary clinical training material. Proton RT, rather than photon RT, is being recommended in many situations when RT is indicated in children. Cost, however, is a significant concern. The arguments for and against proton RT continue and a consensus on this matter has not emerged.
劳动力教育和技术成本。经济学工具可以帮助我们理解这些问题。由于儿童癌症相对罕见，且儿科放射治疗（RT）的作用有限，与接受放射肿瘤学培训的人数相比，美国需要接受 RT 的儿童病例数量较少。这导致必要的临床培训材料稀缺。在 RT 适用于儿童的许多情况下，建议使用质子 RT，而不是光子 RT。然而，成本是一个重大关注点。关于质子 RT 的利弊的争论仍在继续，对此事尚未达成共识。
