Every year, September 7 marks World Radiotherapy Awareness Day (WRAD), a global movement dedicated to shining a light on one of the most powerful yet under-recognized tools in cancer care: radiotherapy.
This year’s theme, “One Voice for Radiotherapy”, calls on patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and advocates to join forces in making radiotherapy more visible, accessible, and equitable, especially in regions like Africa where access gaps remain stark.
Why Radiotherapy Matters
Essential for cancer treatment: Nearly half of all cancer patients worldwide will need radiotherapy at some stage in their treatment. It can cure, control, or relieve symptoms.
A tool for dignity and relief: Beyond cure, radiotherapy alleviates pain, stops bleeding, and relieves obstruction, restoring dignity and comfort in advanced cancers.
A story of inequality: In Africa, many patients must still travel hundreds of kilometers to reach a radiotherapy center. Until a few years ago, Kenya had only a handful of machines, mostly in Nairobi. Today, new regional cancer centers in Mombasa, Nakuru, and Garissa are changing that story, but the need is still far greater.
The Global Radiotherapy Community
World Radiotherapy Awareness Day is supported by some of the world’s leading organizations, including:
EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer)
International Atomic Energy Agency
These groups are working together to break down silos, amplify awareness, and strengthen radiotherapy’s place in global cancer control.
Challenges Closer to Home
In Kenya and across Africa, the main barriers are:
Limited machines: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommends one radiotherapy machine per 250,000 people. Kenya, with a population of 55 million, still has far fewer than needed.
Workforce shortages: Training radiation oncologists, physicists, and technologists takes years. While Kenya has made strides through new oncology programs at local universities, the numbers are still small compared to the demand.
Financial and geographic barriers: Many families cannot afford travel and accommodation during weeks of radiotherapy, even when treatment itself is subsidized.
A Hopeful Message
On September 7, WRAD offers more than awareness—it offers hope. Hope that radiotherapy’s full potential is realized everywhere, not just in well-served centers. Hope that patients in underserved regions will have access to safe, modern, effective radiotherapy. Hope that health systems will prioritize investment so that where you live doesn’t determine your cancer outcome.
For the lay reader: if you or someone you know is facing cancer, radiotherapy might be a part of the treatment plan. Don’t be shy asking your doctor: Is radiotherapy an option? What kind (machine, beam, dose)? What side effects might I expect? What support will I have? Asking questions, staying informed, and advocating are part of the power each of us has.
In Conclusion
World Radiotherapy Awareness Day is more than a date—it’s a call-to-action. It’s about making visible what has often been invisible: the power of radiotherapy to cure, to relieve, to restore. It’s about ensuring that advances in technology and treatment are matched by equal advances in availability, policy, and public understanding.
One voice for radiotherapy means we all have a part to play: patient, provider, policymaker, communicator. Let’s use this day to speak up—for equity, for access, for hope.
About the Author
Dr. Omar Abdihamid, MD (China), MPH (Geneva), Cancer Research Fellowship (Canada), is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist based in Nairobi and Garissa, Kenya.
Dr. Abdihamid’s work focuses on expanding access to radiotherapy and systemic cancer care across East Africa, with a strong emphasis on decentralized cancer services, patient navigation, and health policy.
He serves on the Editorial Board of the AORTIC Journal for Cancer Research and is actively involved in global oncology networks, including AORTIC, ESMO, and Common Sense Oncology.
Through his clinical practice, research, and advocacy, he champions a “patient-first, context-driven” approach to cancer care—ensuring that innovations in oncology are both affordable and accessible to patients in Africa.
Follow Dr. Abdihamid’s writings on Substack and his professional updates on LinkedIn. See his research work Here
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