IAEA Scientific Forum: Where you live should not determine access to cancer care

“Cancer care is not a privilege. It is an absolute right.” That set the tone at the opening of the IAEA Scientific Forum in Vienna, an event taking place alongside the agency’s 70th General Conference.

The forum is giving an insight into the IAEA’s activities in the radiation and nuclear field, with various sessions and lectures covering medical imaging, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, medical physics, training, financing, and especially the stark inequality in access.

The IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, launched in 2022, tries to bridge that gap. Around 100 countries have joined the initiative, more than 20 Anchor Centres have been established, around 800 medical staff have been trained, more than 20 new or expanded cancer centers are being planned or built, and over 150 major pieces of equipment have been procured.

“This is death by choice”

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned that existing cancer technologies still fail to reach many patients, calling the situation “death by choice.”IAEA Scientific ForumDespite cancer being preventable in some cases, for example through prevention and early detection, the burden remains high and access to treatment deeply unequal. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi found harsh words for the situation, referring to equipment and technologies that already exist but still do not reach many of the people who need them. “This is death by choice,” he said.

Around 70% of cancer deaths in 2024OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa highlighted that around 70% of cancer deaths occur in low and middle income countries and that an estimated 90% of cancer patients in low income countries lack access to radiotherapy when needed.IAEA Scientific Forum occurred in low and middle income countries, OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa noted. He also cited an alarming estimate that 90% of cancer patients in low income countries lack access to radiotherapy when they need it.

Ministers paint a stark picture

Ministers and officials from various countries kept painting that dark picture. Burkina Faso’s health minister said nearly one in two cancer patients dies within the first year of diagnosis, pointing to gaps in early detection and timely care.

Liberia described late diagnosis, limited treatment options, and high costs for families, while several speakers stressed that patients still have to travel long distances or even leave their country to receive treatment.

Tanzania shows how access can improve

““We need to convert cancer from a silent demographic crisis into a success story of equitable modern medicine,” said Tanzania’s Vice President Deogratius John Ndejembi.IAEA Scientific ForumWe need to convert cancer from a silent demographic crisis into a success story of equitable modern medicine,” said Tanzania’s Vice President Deogratius John  Ndejembi. Around 30,000 people die from cancer in Tanzania each year, he said, mainly from cervical and breast cancer. 

He presented Tanzania’s expansion of radiotherapy and imaging capacity, including growth from three sites in 2020 to six in 2026, while access rose from 14% to 26%, benefiting around 6,500 patients.

Between 2021 and 2026, MRI scanners increased from 7 to 28, CT scanners from 12 to 97, mammography units from 4 to 20, and digital x ray machines from 147 to 770.