New imaging system hopes to combat cancer spread

ACROSS South Africa, over a hundred of thousand people will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

For many, survival will depend on whether the cancer is identified early and treatment given to combat the disease. Now, a new multi-million rand imaging system that has been installed at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa, Tshwane, hopes to achieve that.

PET-CT imaging systems are not new in South Africa, but the Philips Ingenuity TF PET/ CT is one of the most advanced of its kind, and hospital staff are hoping it will allow them to fast- track the diagnosis of patients with cancer.

They hope it will help in cutting down on waiting time. The imaging system works off Positron emission tomography (PET) and computer tomography that enables specialists to spot cancerous cells deep within the body. Monday was the official launch date of the centre, but for the past five months the new technology has been working and patients have been assessed.

“The hospital serves a 1.7 million population catchment area, which includes Bojanala District in the North West Province and Limpopo Province. Therefore, I am optimistic that today’s launch will mark the beginning of an end of suffering to the majority of our cancer patients who used to be referred to Steve Biko Academic Hospital for appropriate PET-CT Scan diagnostics prior to specific treatment for their type of malignancy. This was less than ideal because the overloading of Steve Biko Academic Hospital resulted in tremendously long queues and delays which impacted negatively on effective patient management,” Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Gwen Ramokgopa said at the launch.

Steve Biko Academic Hospital, she pointed out, saw 12 000 cancer patients and in 2016 this had doubled to 24 000.

It is not just the PET/ CT scanner, the centre contains other technology, some of which is geared towards making the patient feel comfortable.

There is calming music, and t he ambient light can be changed too. PET uses small amounts of l ow dose radioactive materials, explained Dr Aadil Gutta, head of the hospital’s molecular imaging unit.

These are known as radiotracers, and because they have low doses of radiation are not dangerous.

A commonly used radiotracer is Fludeoxyglucose. Doctors can watch how this radiotracer moves through the body. “Cancer is energy dependent,” explained Gutta, adding that the PET/CT scanner pinpoints the disease by honing into parts of the body where there are abnormal signs of glucose consumption. The system cost R36 million.

In South Africa, the most common forms of cancer among women are breast, cervical and colorectal. For men it is prostate, colorectal and lung cancer.

“The system was installed in June 2017, and has already helped guide decision making for early diagnosis and assessment of treatment efficacy for over 105 patients. We are thrilled with the results and the level of care. We are able to provide our people with world-class technology”, Professor Trevor Mdaka, head of nuclear medicine at the hospital, said.