Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town has unveiled a new radiotherapy machine worth R36 million that can treat up to 40 patients a day.
Prof Jeannette Parkes, head of Radiation Oncology at the hospital, said the department currently sees more than 3,000 new oncology patients a year. “Every year this number increases by between 5% and 10%. Up to 60% of these patients will require radiotherapy as part of their treatment.”
The new Halcyon machine looks a lot like a CT scanner, and it virtually makes no noise, said Nanette Joubert, a medical physicist. Everything is contained inside the machine, which makes it much safer. A full treatment can be done within six minutes. This is four times faster than standard treatments.
Read more at allafrica.com