Radiotherapy Market

Global Radiotherapy Market Trends and Insights

Growing Incidence of Hard-to-Treat Solid Tumors

Escalating early-onset cancer rates gastrointestinal malignancies rose at an annual percentage change of 2.16% over 10 years, stimulating demand for biologically potent modalities. Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) delivers clustered DNA damage that tumor cells struggle to repair, raising 5-year local control in chordoma to 70-80% compared with 50-60% for conventional photons. The multicentre ETOILE trial will provide level-III evidence comparing CIRT with standard care, and early institutional data already favor higher tumor-control probabilities, especially in hypoxic lesions. Health systems in Japan, Germany, and China are consequently prioritizing mixed-particle centers.

Rapid Installation of Hybrid MR-Linac Systems

Real-time MRI-guided systems, pioneered by Elekta and ViewRay, overcome conventional radiotherapy’s inability to visualize anatomy during beam-on time.^{[1]Otazo, Ricardo et al., “MR-Guided Radiotherapy: Current Status and Future Directions,” radiologyinfo.org} Adaptive workflows let clinicians re-optimize plans session-by-session, shrinking margins and sparing normal tissue. Academic centers in Europe and the United States report measurable toxicity reductions, though capital costs above USD 10 million restrict uptake to tertiary hospitals. Vendors now bundle AI-driven contouring and automated quality assurance to shorten cycle times and improve return-on-investment.

Increasing Number of Cancer Patients

The World Health Organization logged 20 million new cases, projecting a 77% jump in incidence by 2050.^{[2]World Health Organization, “New WHO/IAEA Publication Provides Guidance on Radiotherapy Equipment to Fight Cancer,” who.int} The United States will record more than 2 million new diagnoses in 2024. Demand overloads radiotherapy capacity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where only 39% offer baseline services. Hypofractionated regimens and task-sharing models, therefore, gain traction in treating more patients with existing machines.

Huge Government and Non-Government Investments in R&D

Penn Medicine received a USD 12.3 million NIH grant to advance FLASH therapy that delivers curative doses in under a second, potentially shifting clinical workflows from 30-fraction courses to five or fewer.^{[3]Penn Medicine, “NIH Funds FLASH Radiation Therapy Research,” pennmedicine.org} Parallel private-sector capital pours into radiopharmaceutical firms; Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb spent USD 1 billion and USD 4.1 billion, respectively, to secure isotope technology pipelines, indicating strategic convergence between systemic and local radiation approaches.

Lack of Skilled Personnel to Perform Radiotherapy

A qualitative survey of technicians in low-resource settings cited inflexible training frameworks and limited hands-on exposure as prime barriers to competency. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show median salaries of USD 101,990 but only 800 projected openings per year, well below demand. Workforce deficits risk underutilization of installed capacity and drive interest in automation, remote planning hubs, and immersive simulation for accelerated onboarding.

Capital Cost of Particle-Therapy Centers

Building a multi-room proton site consumes USD 150-200 million, while carbon-ion projects can eclipse USD 300 million. This cost concentration yields an uneven footprint: 42 operational proton facilities in the United States contrast with just 12 carbon-ion centers worldwide. Treatment fees of USD 30,000-50,000 challenge payers compared with USD 10,000-15,000 for photons. Innovators are responding with compact single-gantry systems and mobile units that reduce civil-works outlays and enable rural deployments.

Segment Analysis

By Product: Software Innovation Accelerates Treatment Planning

Radiotherapy equipment generated 63.51% of 2024 revenue, reflecting sustained capital spending on linear accelerators, multileaf collimators, and imaging accessories. Treatment-planning and oncology-information software, although smaller in absolute terms, is forecast to expand at 9.34% CAGR through 2030 on the back of AI-enabled automation. The radiotherapy market size for software reached USD 2.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to double by the end of the decade. Platform vendors leverage deep-learning contouring and dose-prediction algorithms that can cut planning cycles from hours to minutes, easing clinician workloads and elevating throughput. Adaptive planning modules now recalculate dose in real time, integrating cone-beam CT or MRI feedback into session-specific plans. Hospitals pursuing value-based oncology care increasingly prefer vendor-neutral, cloud-hosted solutions that integrate imaging, chemotherapy, and surgery records for longitudinal decision-support.

In hardware, Siemens Healthineers focuses on premium-tier systems embedding spectral CT guidance, while mid-range entrants target cost-optimized accelerators for emerging markets. Downstream, independent software specialists such as RaySearch Laboratories exploit open-API ecosystems to insert new analytics tools alongside Varian’s ARIA or Elekta’s MOSAIQ, further segmenting the radiotherapy market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Technology: Proton Therapy Disrupts Photon Dominance

Photon-based modalities retained 77.84% revenue leadership in 2024, upheld by widespread clinical familiarity and lower cost per fraction. Nonetheless, proton therapy’s 13.66% CAGR positions it as the fastest-rising component of the radiotherapy market, propelled by escalating pediatric indications and tumors abutting critical structures. The pencil-beam nature of protons enables conformal dosing with minimal exit dose, cutting long-term cardiopulmonary toxicity. Eight new European centers launched in 2024 alone, and additional facilities are under construction in Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Meanwhile, carbon-ion investigations spurred by Japan’s National Institute of Radiological Sciences focus on radioresistant lesions, with early data showing 10-20 percentage-point gains in 5-year local control versus photons.

Emergent FLASH regimens apply ultra-high dose rates that exploit differential normal-tissue sparing; preclinical work indicates the potential to collapse course length from six weeks to one day. Hybrid multi-ion gantries combining protons and carbon beams are under design, signaling a future where clinicians can select particle species tailored to individual tumor radiosensitivity.

By Therapy Type: External Beam Dominates While Proton Leads Growth

External-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) accounted for 84.72% of total spending in 2024 and continues to anchor the radiotherapy market. Within EBRT, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) remain standard of care, with adoption rates exceeding 80% in high-income centers. Proton EBRT sub-segment volumes are projected to surge at 10.94% CAGR, raising their share in the radiotherapy market. Brachytherapy retains niche roles in gynecologic and prostate indications but faces competition from stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) regimens that offer comparable dosimetry without invasive applicators. Systemic radiopharmaceutical therapy, though currently a minor revenue stream, is gaining visibility through alpha-emitter–linked antibodies targeting bone and neuroendocrine metastases.

Technological convergence blurs traditional type boundaries: MRI-linacs integrate volumetric imaging inside conventional megavoltage workflows, and biology-guided systems use PET signals from tumor metabolism to direct beams dynamically, promising to bridge EBRT and molecular therapy.

By Application: Lung Cancer Treatment Accelerates Amid Rising Incidence

Breast cancer retained a 27.78% share of the radiotherapy market in 2024, due to standardized post-lumpectomy protocols and growing uptake of partial-breast irradiation. Conversely, lung cancer is poised for the highest growth at an 11.69% CAGR, driven by increasing incidence and adoption of SBRT that delivers ablative doses in as few as five sessions. SBRT’s precision permits treatment of early-stage lesions without surgery, attracting both operable and medically inoperable patients. For breast indications, intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) administered during lumpectomy reduces total treatment time and has shown non-inferior local control in low-risk cohorts. The New England Journal of Medicine recently signaled that select estrogen-receptor–positive patients over 65 may safely omit postoperative radiation, foreshadowing personalized de-escalation pathways.

Gastrointestinal, prostate, and cranial tumor segments gain from particle-therapy precision, while skin-cancer treatments benefit from portable low-kV units and emerging electron-FLASH trials such as IntraOp’s Phase II program for non-melanoma cases.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By End User: Ambulatory Centers Drive Growth Through Accessibility

Hospitals supplied 64.81% of global radiotherapy revenue in 2024, leveraging comprehensive diagnostic and surgical adjuncts. Yet ambulatory radiotherapy centers are on track to grow 11.92% annually, fueled by payer incentives for outpatient procedures and patient preference for shorter wait times. Mobile solutions documented by techno-economic studies in Missouri indicate potential annual revenues above USD 3.6 million while expanding rural access. Academic institutes remain pivotal in phase I/II trials that validate next-generation dose regimens, particularly FLASH schedules and multi-ion treatments.

Profitability models for freestanding centers hinge on high equipment utilization and automated planning suites that curtail staffing ratios. Vendor partnerships now package accelerator leasing, maintenance, and cloud planning into subscription bundles, lowering entry barriers for new independent sites.

Geography Analysis

North America commands the largest radiotherapy market with 41.83% in 2024 owing to 42 operational proton centers, significant reimbursement coverage, and a robust clinical-research ecosystem. The United States accounts for more than half of global installations of MRI-guided linacs, although studies from the University of Chicago underscore lingering socioeconomic barriers to hypofractionated breast protocols that could reduce patient visits. Canada broadens capacity through provincial investments in dual-energy linacs and cross-training programs designed to mitigate workforce shortages.

Europe ranks second, distinguished by centralized cancer plans and public financing models that favor technology diffusion across member states. Eight proton centers opened in 2024, with additional capacity underway in Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Hypofractionation is widely embedded into national guidelines, allowing clinicians to deliver curative breast treatments in three weeks or fewer. The European Commission's regulatory clearance of the Siemens-Varian merger cements a vertically integrated supplier capable of bundling diagnostic imaging with therapy solutions.

Asia-Pacific is projected to deliver the fastest growth rate with 10.26% CAGR over 2025-2030, powered by significant unmet demand and escalating public health budgets. China’s 14th Five-Year Plan designates heavy-ion therapy as a strategic priority, igniting construction of joint proton-carbon facilities in Guangzhou and Shanghai. South Korea subsidizes carbon-ion adoption under national insurance, while Japan maintains leadership through continuous operation at Gunma and QST. India, although improving, still operates only 779 teletherapy machinesbwell below needsbforcing 75% of treatment expenditure to be paid out-of-pocket. Southeast Asian nations pursue compact single-room designs to launch first-time services, with Vietnam and Thailand partnering with regional cancer institutes for skills transfer.