In a historic move, Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) has commissioned the facility’s CyberKnife radiotherapy services for cancer patients, the first and only fully robotic radiotherapy device for cancer treatment in the country.
Speaking at the facility after the first patient underwent treatment on Thursday, KUTRRH Chairperson Prof. Olive Mugenda said the treatment was a trail-blazing move geared at expanding access to advanced cancer care in Kenya.
“The commissioning of the CyberKnife system is a major milestone for oncology management in Kenya and a small part of a strategic plan we have harboured over the last few years in the need to move into high precision treatment. With the Government’s support, we finally managed to acquire the CyberKnife machine, which is a bold decision for Kenya in the effort to decrease outbound medical tourism and increase inbound medical tourism,” Prof Mugenda noted.
She further disclosed that through KUTRRH the country had become the first in Sub-Saharan Africa to acquire the Cyber-Knife making it possible for local patients to obtain access to the extremely precise stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic body radiation Therapy (SBRT) treatments that the system delivers.
The commissioning has been a tedious and delicate process jointly undertaken by medical physicists from Accuray- the equipment manufacturer, and KUTRRH medical physicists, doctors, radiotherapists, and oncologists.
“This process, which took five months after the launch by the President, included a dry run and the collection of very delicate data to ensure that the machine processes were accurate and ready to deliver precise and successful treatment to our patients.”
The commencement of the treatment also marks a key milestone for Kenya, and Africa in general. The CyberKnife services are now available locally for Kenyans and other African countries as they will no longer need to travel outside Africa for the treatment,” added Prof. Mugenda.
Unlike traditional surgery, CyberKnife is a non-invasive treatment option that does not require incisions or anesthesia, which therefore leads to quicker recovery time and fewer complications for patients.
According to Dr. Tracy Irura, a radiation oncologist and the lead oncologist at KURRTH, CyberKnife treatment is an essential advancement in radiation therapy, offering precise and effective treatment options for a wide range of medical conditions, especially cancer, while minimizing side effects and improving the overall patient experience.
“Its precise tumour treatment capacity to sub-millimeter accuracy levels makes it the preferred treatment for several conditions such as prostate cancer, lung cancer, brain tumours, spine tumours, and liver cancer among others.”
“CyberKnife treatment is also applied for pancreatic lesions and also certain functional disorders, such as epilepsy, by targeting specific brain aras responsible for seizures,” said Dr. Irura.
KUTRRH has urged oncologists to contact their medical team to discuss their patients’ eligibility so that they are booked accordingly. The facility management disclosed that the acquisition of the machine and the commencement of treatment supports the government’s efforts for Universal healthcare as the treatment is available to all Kenyans from different socio-economic backgrounds as it is fully covered by NHIF.
The commencement of CyberKnife treatment services comes after an intense and much-awaited completion of the commissioning process after the launch of the CyberKnife Centre by President William Ruto in May this year.
By Hellen Lunalo
