Global and regional disparities in access to specialist sarcoma services

Listen to Brian and Lisa discuss the paper 'Global and regional disparities in access to specialist sarcoma services' published in the April 2025 issue of Bone & Joint Open.

Click here to read the paper.

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome back to another episode of AI Talks with Bone & Joint from the publishers of Bone & Joint Open. Today we're discussing the paper titled 'Global and regional disparities in access to specialist sarcoma services', published in April 2025 by T Zamora and colleagues on behalf of the Birmingham Orthopaedic Oncology Meeting participants. I'm Brian and I'm joined by my co-host Lisa.

Hello everyone. I'm keen to delve into this critical discussion about sarcoma care worldwide. Brian, would you like to start with why this study is so significant?

Certainly, Lisa, this research is vital as it highlights the global and regional disparities in access to specialist services for sarcoma care. Sarcomas being a rare type of cancer affect both adults and children. Timely and specialized care is essential for better clinical outcomes. So, pinpointing these disparities helps in addressing and ideally reducing them.

One notable aspect of this study is [00:01:00] its comprehensive approach. The researchers conducted a global survey involving 192 orthopeadic oncology specialists from 47 countries. The data was gathered from respondents at the 2024 Birmingham Orthopaedic Oncology Meeting. It's quite a substantial data set.

Exactly. The survey consisted of 25 questions regarding the respondent's training and practice, access to sarcoma centers and specific diagnostic and treatment resources available to them. Countries were grouped based on geography and their income levels as classified by the World Bank, and the findings were quite revealing Brian.

For instance, only 40% of specialists indicated that most patients in their countries were treated in specialized sarcoma centers. Access to essential diagnostic technologies like PET-CT scans and immunohistochemistry ranged from 69% to 86%. [00:02:00] However, only 31% had access to advanced proton therapy.

Moreover, an alarming 40% of specialists reported that financial constraints regularly delayed treatment. This statistic alone highlights the significant barriers that exist, particularly in low-to-middle-income countries.

It's also notable that regions with well-developed healthcare systems reported better access to sarcoma services across all metrics. For example, Europe and Australasia had higher percentages of perceived easy access to sarcoma centers compared to regions like Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Indeed Lisa, for instance, respondents from high-income countries reported that 74% of patients had easy access to sarcoma centers compared to just 11% in low-to-middle-income countries. This disparity underscores the need for improved resource allocation.

[00:03:00] One interesting finding was how respondents from different countries perceive their access to treatment resources. In Asia for example, respondents from countries like Japan and Singapore reported better access compared to their counterparts in Pakistan or India.

Right and when it comes to financial burdens, 56% of respondents from low-to-middle-income countries indicated that financial constraints regularly delayed treatments. That's compared to just 11% from high-income countries.

Exactly. And it's crucial to note that these disparities aren't limited to just between regions, but also within them. Even countries categorized as high-income can have pockets of limited access. For example, Ukraine stands in contrast to other European countries.

So to wrap this up, it's clear that there are substantial global and regional disparities in sarcoma care. The key takeaway is that addressing these disparities requires tailored healthcare policies, better [00:04:00] resource optimization, and extensive global collaboration.

Understanding these disparities is the first step in making meaningful changes. By targeting these issues through tailored approaches and collective efforts, we can hope to improve the quality of sarcoma care worldwide.

Thanks for joining us on AI Talks with Bone & Joint. Until next time, stay informed and stay engaged.