Müller-Polyzou Ralf, Reuter-Oppermann Melanie
LAP GmbH Laser Applikationen, Lüneburg, Germany.
Department of Health, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 3;20(9):e0308056. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308056. eCollection 2025.
The contemporary world is challenged by natural disasters accelerated by climate change, affecting a growing world population. Simultaneously, cancer remains a persistent threat as a leading cause of death, killing 10 million people annually. The efficacy of radiotherapy, a cornerstone in cancer treatment worldwide, depends on an uninterrupted course of therapy. However, natural disasters cause significant disruptions to the continuity of radiotherapy services, posing a critical challenge to cancer treatment. This paper explores how natural disasters impact radiotherapy practice, compares them to man-made disasters, and outlines strategies to mitigate adverse effects of natural disasters. Through this analysis, the study seeks to contribute to developing resilient healthcare frameworks capable of sustaining essential cancer treatment amidst the challenges posed by natural disasters.
We conducted a Structured Literature Review to investigate this matter comprehensively, gathering and evaluating relevant academic publications. We explored how natural disasters affected radiotherapy practice and examined the experience of radiotherapy centres worldwide in resuming operations after such events. Subsequently, we validated and extended our research findings through a global online survey involving radiotherapy professionals.
The Structured Literature Review identified twelve academic publications describing hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes as the primary disruptors of radiotherapy practice. The analysis confirms and complements risk mitigation themes identified in our previous research, which focused on the continuity of radiotherapy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work describes nine overarching themes, forming the basis for a taxonomy of 36 distinct groups. The subsequent confirmative online survey supported and solidified our findings and served as a basis for developing a conceptual framework for natural disaster-resilient radiotherapy as well as a checklist for practitioners.
The growing threat posed by natural disasters underscores the need to develop business continuity programs and define risk mitigation measures to ensure the uninterrupted provision of radiotherapy services. By drawing lessons from past disasters, we can better prepare for future hazards, supporting disaster management and planning efforts, particularly enhancing the resilience of radiotherapy practice. Additionally, our study can serve as a resource for shaping policy initiatives aimed at mitigating the impact of natural hazards.
当代世界面临着气候变化加速引发的自然灾害挑战，影响着日益增长的全球人口。与此同时，癌症作为主要死因仍然是一个持续存在的威胁，每年导致1000万人死亡。放射治疗作为全球癌症治疗的基石，其疗效取决于不间断的治疗过程。然而，自然灾害会严重扰乱放射治疗服务的连续性，给癌症治疗带来严峻挑战。本文探讨自然灾害如何影响放射治疗实践，将其与人为灾害进行比较，并概述减轻自然灾害不利影响的策略。通过这一分析，该研究旨在为制定有韧性的医疗框架做出贡献，使其能够在自然灾害带来的挑战中维持基本的癌症治疗。
我们进行了一项结构化文献综述，以全面调查这一问题，收集并评估相关学术出版物。我们探讨了自然灾害如何影响放射治疗实践，并考察了全球放射治疗中心在此类事件后恢复运营的经验。随后，我们通过一项涉及放射治疗专业人员的全球在线调查对研究结果进行了验证和扩展。
结构化文献综述确定了12篇学术出版物，将飓风、洪水和地震描述为放射治疗实践的主要干扰因素。该分析证实并补充了我们先前研究中确定的风险缓解主题，先前研究聚焦于新冠疫情期间放射治疗实践的连续性。我们的工作描述了九个总体主题，构成了一个由36个不同组组成的分类法的基础。随后的验证性在线调查支持并巩固了我们的发现，并为制定抗自然灾害放射治疗的概念框架以及从业者清单提供了基础。
自然灾害带来的威胁日益增加，凸显了制定业务连续性计划和确定风险缓解措施以确保放射治疗服务不间断提供的必要性。通过吸取过去灾害的教训，我们可以更好地为未来的灾害做好准备，并支持灾害管理和规划工作，特别是增强放射治疗实践的韧性。此外，我们的研究可以作为制定旨在减轻自然灾害影响的政策举措的资源。
