In Senegal, the only radiotherapy machine is broken, leaving patients without treatment and putting their lives at risk. For Senegalese patients, their only option is to travel 1,300 miles to Morocco for treatment.
In Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), there was an assumption that cancer and terrorism were two unconnected and low priority issues. Now, we know that these two issues are deeply connected and produce serious consequences. However, there are ways to minimize radiological terrorism and improve cancer care. Read more about Cancer-Terrorism Nexus in Cameroon.
In Africa, access to quality care is limited. Patients fail to receive sufficient preventative care, timely and thorough diagnoses, and adequate treatment services. Consequently, cancer is almost always fatal for patients in Africa. Read all about the emerging cancer crisis in Africa in this article from BIO Ventures and AORTIC.
Due to the associated nuclear security risks of cobalt-60 and cesium-137 isotopic teletherapy machines to treat cancer patients in developing countries, the effort to reduce the number of such machines has spurred innovation in the design of linear accelerators. A new article in WIRED, “Mini particle accelerators make cancer treatment safer for everyone,” highlights the dangers of these radioactive materials and the current challenges in using linear accelerators to deliver radiotherapy in lower-resourced countries and other challenging environments. The International Cancer Expert Corps, in concert with world renowned physicists, engineers, scientists and others, is leading the effort to design and develop an innovative linear accelerator to address this issue to improve access to, and the quality of, cancer care globally.
The growing trends toward isolationism and xenophobia make efforts of collaboration, person-to-person connectivity and sustainable partnerships such as those of ICEC even more important on a global level. Understanding the issues behind the global trends rather than simple condemnation can be of benefit in helping to improve existing relationships and conditions and to work toward novel approaches that can counterbalance intolerance. Being apolitical and global as well as focusing on cancer that transcends borders, ICEC is in an excellent position to build new models and bridges. As our recent efforts illustrate, we are well on our way to doing just that.
The December issues of the ICEC Essential News Letter of 2016 provides updates from activities over the last five months. Building from a detailed description of the various components and activities in the June 2016 ICEC Essential News Letter (Vol 1, No 2) we provide updates and a progress report. Read the ICEC Essential News Letter…
Strategies to Enhance External Beam Cancer Therapy in Developing Countries While Permanently Reducing the Risk of Radiological Terrorism
In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, governments across the globe have shown increased concern that terrorists could gain access to high-activity radiological sources that could be used in dirty bombs. Despite efforts to increase their security and detect/prevent their smuggling, the problem has persisted because these radiological materials are in such widespread use in commercial applications across the globe. As a result, proposals to permanently reduce the risk by replacing the use of these materials with less dangerous alternatives have been gaining traction in the international community.
One of the more challenging cases of replacement is that of substituting cobalt-60 devices in external cancer radiation treatment in poorer countries where cancer treatment is grossly inadequate. This has been the case in Africa, a continent which has also seen a documented rise in terrorist activity.
On September 1-2, 2015, the Stanley Foundation and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, with input from experts of the National Cancer Institute’s Radiation Research Program and the University of Witwatersrand, organized a workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss ways for policymakers to reduce the threat of radiological terrorism while also trying to improve cancer care in Africa and other developing countries.
This report presents key themes of the discussion and provides actionable recommendations for the United States, other donor countries, and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“If only one effective radiation treatment unit is commissioned every week, it will take a century to solve this problem.” — Gap projections by the IAEA
Dr. C. Norman Coleman’s and Dr. Bruce D. Minsky’s comment, “The Verdict is in: The Time For Effective Solutions to the Global Cancer Burden is Now,” supports the need assessment and economic analysis by Rifat Atun and colleagues, found in the September issue of The Lancet Oncology. Coleman and Minsky offer that there are opportunities for innovative technologies to cope with and dramatically improve the challenging infrastructures in low-and middle-income countries as well as with indigenous populations in resource-rich countries. Experts around the world are both available and eager to mentor, train and sustain health care professionals in these areas. As a society we can no longer ignore this problem; the verdict is in—and the time is NOW.
In the September issue of The Lancet Oncology, a team of international experts released data indicating expanding access to radiotherapy is a worth while investment in low income countries. Many of these experts are involved in the International Cancer Expert Corps efforts to reduce mortality and improve the quality of life for people in low- and middle income countries and regions worldwide. Read the summary of The Lancet Oncology article, “Expanding Global Access To Radiotherapy“.