Algerian Cancer Center Installs Advanced Radiotherapy Equipment

Cancer patients will gain access to more advanced treatments when three cutting-edge treatment linear accelerators are installed at a new radiotherapy department in Setif (Algeria) in the spring of 2012.

Algeria is experiencing an increase in cancer incidence, driven by the growth and ageing of its population as well as a high incidence of smoking. The World Health Organization’s (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) GloboCan project indicates that in 2008, Algeria had 28,736 cancer cases. This is projected to rise to 35,628 in 2015, an increase of almost 25%. Lung and breast cancers are two of the most common cancers in Algeria, accounting for over a quarter of new cancer cases every year.

The Algerian Ministry of Health has ordered three from Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA, USA) medical linear accelerators as part of a major government initiative to equip the country with sophisticated radiotherapy systems.

The Varian Clinac iX devices, along with Eclipse treatment planning software and Aria oncology information-management software, will enable clinicians at the newly constructed facility to deliver advanced treatments such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT).

“We are pleased to be part of the Algerian Ministry of Health’s program to make modern cancer treatments accessible to more patients,” said Dow Wilson, Varian’s chief executive officer. “Varian has successfully improved the precision and speed of radiotherapy and radiosurgery in order to make it both a cost-effective and widely-available weapon in the war on cancer.”

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