Elekta to bring cancer treatment to millions in Africa
- Elekta's Ian Alexander says current lack of treatment is "totally unacceptable"
STOCKHOLM and PRETORIA, South Africa, May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In Africa, cancer kills more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined[1]. Approximately 40 percent of cancer cases can be prevented[2] and 40 percent can be cured with the right treatment[3]. Together with Elekta, ministries of health in almost a dozen African nations are working to build up their radiation therapy infrastructures and save lives.
More than 50 percent of all cancer patients worldwide would benefit from radiation therapy[4] during the course of their disease, either as the sole therapy or in combination with surgery and chemotherapy. Despite being home to 85 percent of the world's population, less than 35 percent of the world's radiotherapy facilities are in low-income countries[5]. Africa is a prime example of the shortfall that leaves most cancer patients in low-income countries without access to potentially life-saving radiation therapy treatment.
Ian Alexander, Executive Vice President of Elekta's Region Europe, Africa, Latin America and Middle East, says: "Most sub-Saharan countries lack the facilities and trained personnel necessary to provide effective prevention, early detection or adequate treatment of cancer. Elekta is striving to introduce to these countries value-based health systems that deliver high-quality care at low total costs."
Access to radiation therapy on the continent has been hampered by a variety of factors, including education and training. Elekta is committed to improving these circumstances and is investing substantially in its Learning and Innovation Center (LINC) training facility in Cape Town (South Africa). Here, clinicians can learn more about the use of linear accelerators, oncology information systems and treatment planning systems. The company is also actively working to address the unmet need for radiation therapy solutions.
"It is totally unacceptable that fewer than half of Africa's cancer patients have access to any treatment services," Alexander says. "Elekta is determined to change the outlook for millions of patients in Sub-Saharan Africa, by providing affordable solutions."
| Facts: In 2015, Elekta is engaged in providing cancer management solutions in several sub-Saharan countries, including:
Angola Hospital da Casa de Seguranca de Presidente da Republica Luanda will install a Versa HD™ linear accelerator (linac), an Elekta Synergy® linac with Agility and a Flexitron® remote afterloading platform. The linacs and brachytherapy systems represent the first such units in Angola.
Kenya Kenyatta National Hospital is installing Kenya's first Elekta Synergy Platform system, which is also the country's first public sector linac.
Mozambique Hospital Central de Maputo will install the country's first Elekta Synergy Platform linear accelerator and Flexitron remote brachytherapy afterloading platform.
Namibia Namibian Oncology Center is the site of the nation's first-ever linear accelerator, an Elekta Synergy with Agility.
Senegal An Elekta Synergy with Agility will be installed in a new radiotherapy center currently under construction in Dakar.
South Africa The Oncology Centre (Durban), a clinic of Equra Healthcare, has begun treating patients with the country's first Versa HD system. Equra also is using MOSAIQ® Oncology Information System at 26 sites with remote treatment planning, uniting all sites under a single database and making it the single largest MOSAIQ cluster in the world. In September 2015, Inkosi Albert Lathuli Central Hospital, Durban, will begin the clinical use of two Versa HD linacs together with MOSAIQ.
Uganda Mulago University Hospital is installing Uganda's first brachytherapy system, an Elekta Flexitron remote afterloading platform.
Zimbabwe Harare Onco Care will site an Elekta Synergy system with Agility. The customer has five hospitals and is planning to become the leading provider of private radiotherapy services in the country. |
For further information, please contact:
Gert van Santen, Group Vice President Corporate Communications, Elekta AB
Tel: +31 653 561 242, e-mail: gert.vansanten@elekta.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time
Kris Walmsley, Corporate Communications Manager, Elekta AB
Tel: +46 70 537 9545, e-mail: kris.walmsley@elekta.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time
About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both health care providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives.
Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 6,000 hospitals worldwide. Elekta employs around 3,800 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm. Website: www.elekta.com.
[1] World Health Organization
[2] UICC, World Cancer Day fact sheet
[3] IAEA, Inequity in Cancer Care: A Global Perspective
[4] International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics: Bringing Global Access to Radiation Therapy: Time for a Change in Approach
[5] IAEA, Inequity in Cancer Care: A Global Perspective
Share this article