U.S. Faces Shortage of Cancer Doctors: Report

An aging population will put real strain on oncology care, experts say

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

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TUESDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- The United States will suffer a significant shortage of cancer doctors over the next two decades, coinciding with an increased need for these specialists by aging Americans, a new report warns.

Experts predict a shortfall of up to 4,080 oncologists by 2020.

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The shortage is being fueled, on the demand side, by an aging population and more cancer survivors and, on the supply side, by slowed growth in the number of oncologists available as more reach retirement age.

"The graying of America will result in substantial increase in demand for cancer care," said Dr. Dean Bajorin, an oncologist with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and co-chairman of the American Society for Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) Workforce Implementation Working Group. "This is a looming crisis that already needs to be addressed prospectively."

Bajorin spoke Tuesday at a teleconference announcing the findings. The study was commissioned by ASCO and is being published online March 13 in the Journal of Oncology Practice.

Experts estimate that nearly 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year and more than 560,000 will die of the disease, making cancer the second-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease.

Cancer is primarily a disease of older people and the number of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to double between 2000 and 2030.

Right now, supply and demand for oncologists is relatively balanced but that equilibrium is already showing signs of strain, the report's authors said.

"In 2003, it was apparent that oncologists' workload was increasing and we were having problems locating medical oncologists to hire for academic or community practices," noted Dr. Michael Goldstein, a cancer specialist with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and chairman of the ASCO Workforce in Oncology Task Force.

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