Cancer institute to resume radiotherapy treatment

A physicist, demonstrates to journalists how the cancer machine operates at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Mulago, Kampala, recently. PHOTO BY RACHEL MABALA

What you need to know:

With the new computerised system, Dr Kavuma said radiotherapists would be able to upload a photo of the patient to ensure the right treatment goes to the right person.

Cancer patients will start accessing radiotherapy treatment effective next month when the testing of the new cobalt 60 machine is expected to be completed, the executive director of Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has said.

Dr Jackson Orem said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that regulates the use of nuclear energy used by the machine will issue them an operational certificate, which authorises them to offer services to patients as soon as the testing phase is completed.

“We are in advanced stages of testing the machine to ensure all safety measures are in place. Even the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency was here [at cancer institute] on Friday to make sure that the radiation emitted by the machine is within acceptable limits,” Dr Orem explained during a media tour of the radiotherapy unit on Tuesday.
However, he said the official commissioning of the machine is set for January 18. Unlike the old machine, Dr Kavuma Ausi, a senior medical physicist at the radiotherapy unit, said the new machine is more computerised and can make several movements around the patient to locate the cancer tumor.

“It will improve the precision with which the treatment is offered and efficiency. The old machine was using 260 seconds to treat one patient and now this new machine will use a maximum of 45 seconds to treat one patient,” Dr Kavuma said, adding that they expect to handle 100 patients on a daily basis.

Advantages
With the new computerised system, Dr Kavuma said radiotherapists would be able to upload a photo of the patient to ensure the right treatment goes to the right person. The nuclear energy used by the radiotherapy machine can be used to make destructive weapons such as atomic bombs in executing acts of terror. And in order to avert such occurrences, the radiotherapy unit where the machine is stored has been equipped with a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera system to help in monitoring what is taking place around the unit.
Purchased at Shs2.7b by both government and IAEA, the machine replaces the old cobalt 60 radiotherapy machine, which broke down beyond repair on March 27, 2016.

Background

In the absence of a cobalt 60 radiotherapy machine, the patients in the country were travelling to Nairobi, Kenya, for treatment. Others were changed to chemotherapy, surgery and palliative care but which are not as effective as radiotherapy treatment.