Kenya on Monday scanned the first patient for cancer with new technology at Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The Integrated Molecular Imaging Centre will scan at least 50 patients per day using the two cancer PET/CT scan machines available at the centre.
The aim is to offer comprehensive cancer management services for early cancer diagnosis and treatment and in turn reduce the burden of the disease in the country.
The PET/CT scan procedure helps detect tumours that can lead to lung, colorectal, breast, ovarian, brain cancers, among others.
Dr Harish Nagaraj is one of three nuclear medicine physicians who will be based at the cancer imaging centre.
He said once they receive a referral from the oncologist they give the patient an injection of a radioactive material called fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in the vein.
“Once the patient is injected we give them around 55 minutes to an hour for the uptake time. This is just mainly to ensure that the glucose is disseminated in the body and concentrates in the area of need be it the cancer or other inflammations,” Nagaraj said.
He said after this period, the patient is ready to go to the scan room.
"We have set protocols with our latest digital machine. It will not take much time for the scan. Usually the scan time is about 25 minutes, so by 25 minutes the patient is out and we have what we want,” Nagaraj said.
The medic said the FDG half-life is about 110 minutes so for approximately two hours the patient is radioactive.
During that time, they have to use a specific toilet, known as the hot toilet.
After the two hours it gets reduced to half of its earlier activity which means that after three hours the patient has negligible radioactivity and can be allowed to go home.
Nagaraj said unlike conventional imaging, the PET scan gives a combination of functional images while the CT part gives the connection in the body structure.
“Earlier we used to know whether there is some form of lesion there in the body but we didn’t know whether it is still active, it is growing or it is having some other impact,” he said.
It helps radiologists distinguish between healthy tissue and diseased ones so that cancer can be accurately diagnosed, correctly staged, and appropriately treated.
Nagaraj said, “With the advantage of both PET and CT, you will get to know the metabolic activity of the particular tumour and the exact location. This is something which was not found in earlier conventional imaging so this should be a big boost for the management of cancer and diagnosis.”
According to the expert, PET/CT is done only for patients who are supposed to have any specific information or clarification from the earlier scans and not routinely hence minimises any side effects that might result from radiation.
He has termed the side effects as ‘quite negligible’ compared to benefits.
Data from the Health ministry shows cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya after infectious and cardiovascular diseases.
The data shows the annual incidence of cancer increased from 37,000 to 47,887 new cases with mortality rising from 28,500 to 32,987 between 2012 and 2018.
With the commissioning of the new centre, the impact is to be witnessed in the areas of early diagnosis, improved survivorship, reduction in waiting time, cost of treatment and a significant reduction in cancer related deaths.
“There is no reason now why any Kenyan should go outside the country for the PET scan services, with the resources that were given by the President we are able to have two PET scan machines and since we are doing two shifts nobody will be waiting, nobody needs to go out,” KUTRH board chairperson Prof Olive Mugenda said.
Edited by A.N
