Only 9% of people in the U.K. believe radiation therapy is a modern, cutting-edge treatment for cancer, and only 15% think it is a precise procedure, according to a survey by Cancer Research U.K.
The survey, which polled more than 2,000 British adults, also found that respondents knew very little about radiation therapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT).
The results also showed that 40% of respondents described radiation therapy as frightening, compared with 16% who said the same for targeted cancer drugs.
Although 89% of those polled had heard of radiation therapy -- compared with 44% who had heard of targeted cancer therapy -- more people said they would be very likely to ask their consultant about targeted therapy (52%) than radiation therapy (47%) following a cancer diagnosis.
The survey results are being released to launch 2011 as the Year of Radiotherapy as part of a national initiative in the U.K. to improve public understanding and increase awareness of the value of radiation therapy.
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