Uganda Cancer Institute acquires sophisticated radiotherapy machine

Components of the cancer being installed at the Uganda Cancer Institute. PHOTO/NOBERT ATUKUNDA

KAMPALA- Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has started installation of TrueBeam radiotherapy machine to improve cancer treatment in the country.

Dr Jackson Orem executive director UCI said many Ugandans have been yearning for this kind of treatment that they have been receiving from Aga Khan Hospital Nairobi but now the Institute has been able to acquire a more sophisticated machine than the one in Nairobi making it the first of the kind in Africa.

“Once the machine starts operation in December 2020, cancer Treatment will greatly improve as this machine provides image guided stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy with high precision to treat tumours and lesions in various parts of the body, including lungs, breasts, head, and neck,” Dr Orem said on Monday.

The machine which has been bought by the government at $3.2 million is an addition to two other radiotherapy machines that are being used to treat cancer.

TrueBeam radiotherapy device consists of two main components, a beam-producing system for producing photon, electron, and diagnostic X-ray radiation, and a control panel.

According to UCI specialists, TrueBeam radiotherapy system helps patients to heal in fewer sessions such as one to five for a patient compared to 20 to 40 sessions of conventional radiation therapy (dependent upon the type of tumour).

UCI states that shorter sessions lower the risk of side effects in patients.

Cancer accounts for at least 5 per cent (353,000 people) of the national deaths annually, according to UCI.

In 2016, cancer cases were at 4,000 and 4,500 in 2017.

Dr Orem said the machine is being installed by engineers from Turkey who arrived in the country over the weekend adding that it will be operated by trained oncologists who have been specifically trained on how to use the machine in

Israel.

Engineers represented by Mr Isaac Shashec promised to deliver work as expected on this first unique project in Africa.