FOR CANCER THERAPY In response to the developing world’s growing cancer crisis, the IAEA established the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) [1.10, 1.17, 1.18] in 2004 to fully realize the public health impact obtained through technology transfer in radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. PACT was launched as an IAEA initiative, but its vision is for a global public–private partnership and fund to confront the cancer crisis, including the formation of a Joint Programme on Cancer Control with WHO. This Joint Programme, established in 2009, allows close collaboration with WHO and other key international health organizations, through a coordinated global response, in developing strategies and specific plans for working with low and middle income Member States in the design and implementation of comprehensive cancer control programmes. PACT presents ambitious long term goals. The principal goals are: (a) To build a global public–private partnership of interested organizations committed to addressing the challenge of cancer in LMICs in all its aspects; (b) To mobilize resources from charitable trusts, foundations, and others in the public and private sectors to assist low and middle income Member States to develop and implement their radiation medicine capacities within an NCCP; (c) To ensure the effective and sustainable transfer of radiation medicine technologies and/or knowledge to all low and middle income Member States where unmet needs exist. In the short term, the IAEA is working through PACT with WHO and other partners to raise cancer awareness on a global scale, assess needs in individual countries or regions and develop successful demonstration projects that attract donors to support these life saving initiatives to help sustain and replicate positive outcomes. 1.9. THE WHO–IAEA JOINT PROGRAMME ON CANCER CONTROL The main purpose of the WHO–IAEA Joint Programme is to coordinate activities and resources to provide evidence based and sustainable support to comprehensive cancer control programmes in LMICs [1.17]. The Joint Programme further seeks to raise cancer awareness, assess cancer control needs, develop cancer control demonstration projects, and attract bilateral or multilateral donors in order to establish effective new funding mechanisms beyond those currently available from the IAEA and WHO individually. The Joint Programme’s strategy includes support for cancer control reviews and assessments at the country level. Strategic planning and capacity building for cancer therapy cannot occur without extensive collaboration with other international key players: international organizations, governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and the private sector, including radiotherapy equipment manufacturers. Under the Joint Programme, a number of missions have taken place to review the current status of cancer control in many countries and provide technical advice and recommendations on the establishment of operational cancer control programmes. 1.10. KEY POINTS — Radiotherapy is one of the three pillars of cancer treatment, which also include surgery and systemic therapies. — Radiotherapy should be an important part of any national cancer control plan. — Access to radiotherapy services has a number of dimensions, which include availability of the service, geographical accessibility, affordability, accommodation and awareness on the part of physicians and patients. — The optimal use of a teletherapy machine in terms of effectiveness and safety occurs when it is complemented by two additional sets of elements: supporting accessories and trained staff. — A national cancer control programme is a public health programme designed to reduce the number of cancer cases and deaths and improve the quality of 27 life of cancer patients, through the systematic and equitable implementation of evidence based strategies for prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliation, making the best use of available resources. — In response to the developing world’s growing cancer crisis, the IAEA established the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy in 2004 to fully realize the public health impact obtained