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UN offers online courses to boost cancer treatment in developing nations

UN offers online courses to boost cancer treatment in developing nations

IAEA says making radiotherapy accessible is a key component in any comprehensive cancer control programme
To bridge the gap in developing countries where there is a shortage of cancer specialists, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has helped spearhead a web-based course on radiation oncology.

To bridge the gap in developing countries where there is a shortage of cancer specialists, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has helped spearhead a web-based course on radiation oncology.

Radiotherapy plays a positive role in treating nearly half of all cancer patients, as cancer rates continue to climb in poorer nations.

The course contains 80 training modules classified into eight different topics, and the materials are expected to complement the training that radiation oncologists receive through their formal education in their respective countries.

This initiative is part of an IAEA programme involving 17 Member States in the Asia-Pacific region, and the material for the course – entitled “Applied Sciences of Oncology Distance Learning” – was developed by an Australian organization.