The treatment of cancer in Africa has just been given a major boost thanks to a joint venture between CPUT, the University of Cape Town and Varian medical systems.

Research shows that cancer is on the increase in developing countries and an estimated 10 000 more radiotherapy units will be needed by 2050. This will require more trained radiotherapy treatment personnel who are able to deal with the specific needs of cancer patients in Africa. To meet the anticipated demand Varian Medical Systems has developed an educational programme called Access to Care and collaborated with CPUT and UCT to teach and facilitate its inaugural Pan-African rollout.

The training programme will be hosted at Groote Schuur Hospital which is home to clinical training of UCT’s radiation oncologist and medical physicist programmes and CPUT’s radiation therapist programme respectively. In industry, graduates from these programmes work closely with each other in the integrated treatment of cancer.

At present, cancer treatment in Africa is largely done using 2D treatment methods. The installation of advanced technology will allow radiotherapy departments in Africa to move towards more radical 3D treatment methods.  The VERT system is the first installation of its kind on the continent. Using it, expert participants will be able to use the 3D images and case studies to isolate cancer treatment to the affected areas more effectively and understand complex theoretical concepts easily in a real world setting.

Working much like a flight simulator the VERT equipment gives the user a myriad of real-life scenarios like crashed equipment, complex patient case study treatment set-ups and quality assurance system checks. It provides innovative and realistic 3D imaging and even real-time sound effects. Housed in an ultra-modern training facility, radiation therapists, medical physicists and cancer specialists from across the continent will be able to access specialised training twice a year for three week sessions.