Table 4 The NHS scheme for prioritizing patients for radiotherapy by anticipated outcome

Priority level 1:

Patients with category 1 (rapidly proliferating) tumors currently being treated with radical (chemo)radiotherapy with curative intent where there is little or no scope for compensation of gaps.

Patients with category 1 tumors in whom combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and subsequent brachytherapy is the management plan and the EBRT is already underway.

Patients with category 1 tumors who have not yet started treatment and in whom clinical need determines that treatment should start in line with current cancer waiting times.

Priority level 2:

Urgent palliative radiotherapy in patients with malignant spinal cord compression who have useful salvageable neurological function.

Priority level 3:

Radical radiotherapy for category 2 (less-aggressive) tumors for which radiotherapy is the first definitive treatment.

Post-operative radiotherapy where there is known residual disease following surgery in tumors with aggressive biology.

Priority level 4:

Palliative radiotherapy where alleviation of symptoms would reduce the burden on other healthcare services, such as hemoptysis.

Priority level 5:

Adjuvant radiotherapy where there has been compete resection of disease and there is a <20% risk of recurrence at 10 years; for example, most ER-positive breast cancer in patients receiving endocrine therapy.

Radical radiotherapy for prostate cancer in patients receiving neo-adjuvant hormone therapy.