By Daily News Reporter in Dodoma
BENJAMIN Mkapa
Hospital (BMH) through its Oncology Unit plans to begin offering
radiation therapy as a cancer treatment method that controls or kills
the disease's malignant cells.
Making the
revelation here recently, the Hospital's Executive Director, Dr Alphonce
Chandika, said that plans are underway for the 400-bed institution to
set up the radiotherapy service at its newly established Oncology Unit.
"So far, at least
400 cancer patients are receiving chemotherapy at our Oncology Unit. The
Hospital will soon introduce radiotherapy to cancer patients," further
said the Executive Director.
Radiation therapy may be curative in a number of types of cancer if they are localized to one area of the body.
It may also be used
as part of adjuvant therapy to prevent tumor recurrence after surgery
to remove a primary malignant tumor for example, early stages of breast
cancer.
Expounding, Dr
Chandika noted that radiation therapy will enhance cancer treatment
service at the Hospital's Oncology Unit, adding that presently, the
Hospital offers chemotherapy- a type of cancer treatment that uses one
or more anti-cancer drugs.
He further informed
that the institution was finalising plans to start bone marrow
transplant, a medical procedure performed to replace bone marrow with
healthy bone marrow, to treat sickle cell patients.
Dr Chandika further
pointed out that the Hospital will also team up with Italy-based
University of Monza to set up bone marrow transplant service at the
institution, saying that current they are finalising to put up a blood
bank that will facilitate bone marrow transplant.
Other diseases, which bone marrow transplant can treat include blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma and aplastic anemia.
The medic said the
Hospital will perform kidney transplant in this January, adding that so
far, seven people have successfully undergone the lifesaving surgery at
the institution since its establishment.
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