The global market for Radiation Therapy Equipment is expected to decline by -4.8% in the year 2020 and thereafter recover to reach US$6.9 billion by the year 2027, trailing a post COVID-19 CAGR of 4.2% over the analysis period 2020 through 2027. Six months into the pandemic, the COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve and shows no signs of receding. The pandemic has impacted all areas of healthcare provision, including cancer care and has necessitated the prioritization of healthcare infrastructure for COVID-19 patients, affecting other patients across the world. With all elective surgeries cancelled and postponed there has been a significant drop in imaging procedures. CT & MRI imaging for cancer in outpatient clinics & primary care especially is bearing the brunt of the disruptions. Increase in chest screening as part of COVID-19 management is but only partially offsetting the decline in routine imaging. Over 40% of cancer surgeries scheduled worldwide have been postponed or cancelled till date. The low level of screening is not only raising the risk of missed, delayed diagnosis and higher mortality but is also resulting in business losses for radiation therapy equipment. The medical equipment market, including the radiation therapy equipment market has been facing severe headwinds. Compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, there has been a decline in urgent referrals from general practitioners to cancer services for people suspected to having the disease and also a drop in chemotherapy appointments from cancer patients. There have been postponements in screenings and delays in diagnosis and treatments. Delays in treatments or late diagnosis can lead to growth in tumor and bad prognoses. They can lead to significant backlogs of treatment required, which would need to be performed later on. As healthcare establishments prioritize on preserving cash and cancel or postpone purchase of new equipment, demand for radiation therapy equipment is expected to be weak in the near term.

However in the post COVID-19 period, the return to growth will be led by pent-up demand for cancer treatment and diagnosis. The equipment for radiation therapy have come a long way from basic X-ray systems rolled out in 1890s to modern IMRT and IGRT systems capable of delivering precise, effective and affordable treatment to cancer patients. The discovery of X-rays in the year 1895, marked a significant development in the field of radiation therapy for cancer treatment. Radium remained highly popular until the mid-1900s, particularly for use in research and medical treatment applications; and was later replaced by cesium and cobalt units. Medical linear accelerators came into existence as radiation sources in late 1940s, and continue to be used in modern times. Megavoltage linear accelerators have largely replaced cobalt and orthovoltage units, due to their substantial penetrating energies as well as lack of physical radiation source. In 1971, Godfrey Hounsfield invented computed tomography (CT), which conceptualized the possibility of 3D planning. 3D CRT was first made available in the 1980s. CT-based planning enabled physicians to determine accurate dose distribution, by carefully analyzing the patient's axial tomographic images. The introduction of more advanced imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) brought a further shift in radiotherapy from 3D conformal therapy to image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Advanced radiation therapies such as IGRT and IMRT offer several benefits such as less side effects and better patient outcomes.

As the burden of cancer on the overall healthcare industry continues to grow, advent of new technologies and treatment techniques is expected to spur growth in the radiation therapy equipment market and also transform the manner in which cancer treatments are planned and the way in which doses are delivered. Advances in radiotherapy technology, focused on improving treatment efficacy, have led to the development of stereotactic radiosurgery techniques, which reduce exposure of normal tissue to radiation and allow patients to resume normal life in about 2 days following treatment. Conventional radiotherapy systems as well as advanced procedures including IGRT, IMRT, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), proton therapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) are gaining widespread acceptance in cancer treatment. Proton therapy is emerging as a preferred option for cancer treatment owing to the relatively less risk associated with the procedure. IGRT market is also expected to grow rapidly, since the approach significantly cuts down long-term side effects associated with the treatment. The gradual transition from traditional technologies to highly complex, resource intensive treatment procedures such as 4D imaging, nanotechnology, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, particle therapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy is facilitating clinicians to improve the accuracy and precision of radiotherapy.