A direct correlation between air pollution and cancer in developing regions like China have led to a surge in radiation equipment for cancer treatment in these areas.
The Global Radiation Therapy Equipment Market is growing at a CAGR of 6.04 percent from 2014-2018, and while the Americas still dominate the market with approximately 50 percent market share, increases in global cancer rates will present major growth opportunities in emerging countries like China.
According to TechNavio analysts, there has been a marked increase in global incidences of cancer, with the GLOBOCAN report stating that cancer accounted for 8.2 million deaths worldwide in 2012.
“19.3 million new cancer cases are expected every year until 2025, with the demand for radiation therapy equipment rising in tandem with the disease,” say senior analysts.
A report on air pollution and cancer from the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that ambient fine particles (PM2.5) were estimated to have caused 3.2 million deaths worldwide in 2010 alone, and 223, 000 deaths from lung cancer. These tiny airborne particles are incredibly bad for human health and are major contributors to smog.
The report goes on to say that, “more than half of the lung cancer deaths attributable to ambient PM2.5 were estimated to have been in China and other East Asian countries (Lim et al., 2012).”
China’s smog issues aren’t news, and in the wake of such strong data tying smog to various forms of cancer the governments of such economies have started implementing initiatives in the form of increasing the number of facilities for cancer treatment. A number of public and private healthcare organizations in these regions are using greater numbers of radiation therapy equipment in order to offer better treatment to cancer patients.
However, a lack of skilled professionals to carry out radiation therapy is posing a bit of a challenge for this otherwise strong market. According to TechNavio, proper training needs to be given to radiographers and physicists to plan and deliver radiation therapy to cancer patients using equipment such as linear accelerators. Additionally, a radiation therapist needs to have a positive attitude, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, technological expertise, and the ability to handle complex details under challenging working conditions. Although there are several radiotherapy courses available for the training and development of health professionals, the number of skilled healthcare professionals for radiation therapy is low.
But this relatively small roadblock is nothing when compared to surging cancer rates. As government and healthcare professionals prepare to tackle major increases in the disease due to aging populations as well as pollution, the Global Radiation Therapy Equipment Market will continue to grow.
For more insights, view our Global Radiation Therapy Equipment Market 2014-2018 report.
