Measuring the inequalities in radiotherapy health resources in Japan. Comparison of the Hokkaido-Tohoku and Tokyo districts

The aim of this study was to measure and compare the geographical inequalities in radiotherapy health resources between the Hokkaido-Tohoku and Tokyo districts of Japan. The numbers of radiotherapy facilities, radiologists, and radiological technologists were used to represent radiotherapy health resources. The target areas were 11 prefectures in the Hokkaido-Tohoku and Tokyo districts. The Gini coefficient (GC) was used to measure inequalities in health resources in relation to the population and area of each secondary medical care zone. Correlation analysis was performed to clarify the relation between the GC and the all-cancer mortality rate per 100000 people. The mean population and area GCs of Yamagata Prefecture were the smallest, whereas the mean population GC of Tokyo and the mean area GC of Hokkaido were the largest. The mean GCs of radiotherapy facilities and radiological technologists were higher in the Tokyo district than in the Hokkaido-Tohoku district. No significant correlation was found between GC and cancer mortality. Geographical inequalities in radiotherapy health resources tended to be larger in the Tokyo district than in the Hokkaido-Tohoku district. It is expected that the radiotherapy system will be substantially improved by the Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs. (author)