# Oncology workforce

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/oncology-workforce/  
OnCo record `oncology-workforce` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

There are not enough oncologists, radiation therapists, pathologists, oncology nurses and pharmacists for the growing number of patients, in rich countries and especially in poor ones; burnout, geography and training pipelines shape who receives care.

## Summary

ASCO projected a shortage of ~2,200 US oncologists by 2025 as demand grows ~40% with ageing and survivorship while supply grows ~25%; ~20% of Americans live in rural areas with <7% of oncologists (ASCO State of the Oncology Workforce). Burnout affects 45-60% of oncologists. Globally, many LMICs have fewer than one oncologist per million people; radiation oncology, medical physics, pathology (≤1 pathologist per million in parts of Africa) and oncology nursing are the scarcest. Responses: advanced practice providers, team-based care, telehealth, task-shifting to nurses and general physicians with protocols, international training partnerships (AORTIC, ASCO International, IAEA), AI-assisted pathology and radiotherapy planning, and retention strategies. The workforce is a rate-limiting factor for every advance listed in this graph.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Tags: gap-fill; policy

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncology
- ASCO State of the Oncology Workforce: https://www.asco.org/news-initiatives/current-initiatives/cancer-care-initiatives/oncology-workforce-information
- Lancet Oncology Commission: pathology and lab medicine (2018): https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30458-6

## Connected records

- technologies: [AI in radiology](https://onco.cc/technologies/radiology-ai-screening/), [Digital pathology & AI](https://onco.cc/technologies/digital-pathology-ai/), [Global oncology and access in low- and middle-income countries](https://onco.cc/technologies/global-oncology-access/), [Oncology nursing and nurse-led care](https://onco.cc/technologies/oncology-nursing/), [Telehealth and hospital-at-home in oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/telehealth-oncology/)
- terms: [Cancer health disparities and equity](https://onco.cc/terms/cancer-health-disparities/)
- key papers: [Access to pathology and laboratory medicine services: a crucial gap](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-wilson-lancet/)

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