Na. Janjan et al., REFLECTIONS ON RADIOTHERAPY IN VIETNAM - POLITICAL LESSONS STILL TO BE LEARNED, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics, 28(3), 1994, pp. 773-775
Citations number
8
Categorie Soggetti
Oncology,"Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Radiotherapy in Vietnam represents a stark contrast to the level of ca
re available in the United States. The issue of efficient administrati
on of cancer care with available resources is common to both nations.
The challenge for each country is to develop treatment strategies and
political policies for effective and accessible care within budgetary
constraints. Results of therapy, defined as the restoration of functio
n, must be the measure of efficacy and efficiency. This demands a bala
nce between control of tumor-related symptoms and treatment-related mo
rbidity. The most inefficient use of resources is an ineffective treat
ment that results in complications, as we observed in Vietnam. As heal
th care policies continue to develop in the United States, we must not
fail to focus upon therapeutic outcome as the single most important p
arameter for measuring success relative to the personal and public inv
estment in medicine.