– Elekta’s Ian Alexander says current lack of treatment is “totally unacceptable”
\nSTOCKHOLM 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Facts:
\nIn 2015, Elekta is engaged in
\nproviding cancer management
\nsolutions in several sub-Saharan
\ncountries, including:<\/p>\n
Angola
\nHospital da Casa de Seguranca de
\nPresidente da Republica Luanda
\nwill install a Versa HD(TM) linear
\naccelerator (linac), an Elekta
\nSynergy(R) linac with Agility and
\na Flexitron(R) remote afterloading
\nplatform. The linacs and
\nbrachytherapy systems represent
\nthe first such units in Angola.<\/p>\n
Kenya
\nKenyatta National Hospital is
\ninstalling Kenya’s first Elekta
\nSynergy Platform system, which is
\nalso the country’s first public
\nsector linac.<\/p>\n
Mozambique
\nHospital Central de Maputo will
\ninstall the country’s first Elekta
\nSynergy Platform linear
\naccelerator and Flexitron remote
\nbrachytherapy afterloading
\nplatform.<\/p>\n
Namibia
\nNamibian Oncology Center is the
\nsite of the nation’s first-ever
\nlinear accelerator, an Elekta
\nSynergy with Agility.<\/p>\n
Senegal
\nAn Elekta Synergy with Agility will
\nbe installed in a new radiotherapy
\ncenter currently under
\nconstruction in Dakar.<\/p>\n
South Africa
\nThe Oncology Centre (Durban), a
\nclinic of Equra Healthcare, has
\nbegun treating patients with the
\ncountry’s first Versa HD system.
\nEqura also is using MOSAIQ(R)
\nOncology Information System at 26
\nsites with remote treatment
\nplanning, uniting all sites under
\na single database and making it
\nthe single largest MOSAIQ cluster
\nin the world.<\/p>\n
In September 2015, Inkosi Albert
\nLathuli Central Hospital, Durban,
\nwill begin the clinical use of two
\nVersa HD linacs together with
\nMOSAIQ.<\/p>\n
Uganda
\nMulago University Hospital is
\ninstalling Uganda’s first
\nbrachytherapy system, an Elekta
\nFlexitron remote afterloading
\nplatform.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe
\nHarare Onco Care will site an
\nElekta Synergy system with
\nAgility. The customer has five
\nhospitals and is planning to
\nbecome the leading provider of
\nprivate radiotherapy services in
\nthe country.
\n———————————
\nFor further information, please contact:
\nGert van Santen, Group Vice President Corporate Communications, Elekta AB
\nTel: +31 653 561 242, e-mail: gert.vansanten@elekta.com
\nTime zone: CET: Central European Time
\nKris Walmsley, Corporate Communications Manager, Elekta AB
\nTel: +46 70 537 9545, e-mail: kris.walmsley@elekta.com
\nTime zone: CET: Central European Time<\/p>\n
About Elekta
\nElekta 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
[1] World Health Organization
\n[2] UICC, World Cancer Day fact sheet
\n[3] IAEA, Inequity in Cancer Care: A Global Perspective
\n[4] International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics: Bringing Global Access to Radiation Therapy: Time for a Change in Approach
\n[5] IAEA, Inequity in Cancer Care: A Global Perspective<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
– 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n