PATIENTS will no longer need to travel abroad for most modern cancer diagnostics, thanks to the Aga Khan University (teaching) Hospital (AKUH) in Nairobi, which has acquired an ultra-modern Positron Emission Tomography (PET) CT scanner and Cyclotron, a first in East and Central Africa.
This pace-setting equipment is currently
being installed and a comprehensive staff training programme is
underway to prepare the launch in March 2018.
PET CT scan is an imaging test used to
diagnose diseases, plan treatment, to find out how a condition is
progressing and to see how effective treatment is on the disease, while a
cyclotron is a type of compact particle accelerator used to produce
small quantities of radioactive isotopes, a substance required for the
PET imaging.
“Aga Khan University Hospital continues
to be at the front of the fight against non-communicable diseases
through evidence-based medicine backed by research, a team-based
approach and modern technology,” said Shawn Bolouki, Chief Executive
Officer.
He added, “Patients will no longer have
to travel to India or abroad to get this service, as it will be
available right here in Nairobi. The technology was acquired at an
approximate cost of 6 million US Dollars (equivalent to Ksh 600M) and
will revolutionise diagnostics and treatment in the region.”
Chair, Department of Radiology at Aga
Khan University Hospital, Professor Sudhir Vinayak, said while an MRI
and CT scan shows how a particular part of the body looks, a PET/ CT
scan can reveal how it is functioning.
“This is an important aspect for
cardiologists and cardiac surgeons too as it enable them to detect which
parts of the heart have been damaged or scarred. It can also help
identify blood and oxygen circulation problems in the heart; this
combined technology will change diagnostic medicine in the region,” he
noted.
The equipment will enable doctors to
identify health threats at the cell-level thus giving them the best view
and time of treatment for complex diseases such as cancer and heart
diseases, brain and other central nervous system problems, thereby
improving treatment outcomes.
Section Head Medical Oncology at AKUH,
Dr Asim Jamal, said information generated from PET CT scans enables
oncologists to make better treatment and follow up plans for cancer
patients. In certain cancer situations, this information is critical in
making decisions regarding treatment options including surgery,
radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
“This technology can reveal the presence
and stage of cancer, including whether and where the cancer has spread
to and help doctors decide on treatment. PET/CT also give us an
indication of how well chemotherapy is working and can detect a
recurring tumour sooner than any other diagnostic modalities,” said Dr
Jamal.
PET/CT scan technology is also critical
in neurosciences especially in the diagnosis of neurological conditions
such as dementia and epilepsy. “PET/CT services will be available as an
outpatient procedure, unless the patient is already admitted to the
hospital and lasts for at most 30 minutes,” Professor Vinayak concluded.
The acquisition of this highly
specialised system by Aga Khan University Hospital, the only Joint
Commission International accredited hospital in Kenya, reaffirms its
premier status as the leading provider of quality clinical care,
teaching and research in sub-Saharan Africa.
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