In addition to enabling more efficient radiation therapy, new technology is spurring interest in capital equipment acquisition in the U.S. radiation therapy market, according to a new market research report by IMV Medical Information Division.
IMV found that the number of radiation therapy courses of treatment in the U.S. grew 5% from 966,000 in 2012 to 1 million in 2013, while the estimated number of treatment visits at the 2,280 radiation therapy centers in hospital and nonhospital locations in the U.S. declined by 5% from 20.9 million in 2012 to 19.8 million in 2013. This suggests that new technology is enabling clinicians to treat patients with fewer visits to the treatment room, said Lorna Young, IMV senior director of market research, in a statement.
IMV said that improvements in radiation therapy technologies that deliver safe, efficient, and effective treatments to patients are continuing to drive capital purchases. In the next few years, 34% of U.S. radiation therapy facilities plan to purchase external-beam radiation therapy units that incorporate technologies such as image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), respiratory gating, and rotational arc therapy, according to the company.
In other report findings, IMV said that the proportion of radiation therapy sites with capital budgets of $1 million or more is projected to increase from 14% in 2013 to 26% in 2015. Additionally, 35% of radiation therapy sites plan to acquire or upgrade their oncology information systems over the next three years, with nearly 90% of the planned implementations and upgrades incorporating patient information from the facility's electronic medical record system. Twenty-one percent of these sites plan to purchase new oncology information systems, while 79% expect to upgrade their current capabilities.
Disclosure notice: AuntMinnie.com is a subsidiary of IMV Ltd.
