Leaders In Cancer Radiotherapy Recognize World Cancer Day Through Elekta Brachytherapy Equipment Donation

ATLANTA, Feb 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Radiating Hope gains support to expand radiation therapy in regions with unmet cancer care needs   

Four Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) high-dose radiation (HDR) brachytherapy units are being donated to Radiating Hope, a non-profit organization with a mission to improve radiation oncology care around the globe. The donation, being made directly by Gamma West Cancer Services (Utah, U.S.), is being announced in concert with World Cancer Day, which is observed annually on February 4 and is designed to draw attention to what can be done to address cancer.

Radiating Hope plans to deploy the four HDR brachytherapy units in Nepal. HDR brachytherapy is a powerful method for delivering radiation internally to target cancer tissues, and is used in the treatment of skin, cervical, prostate and breast cancer.

"While 60-70 percent of U.S. cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment, most people in developing countries don't have access to this life-saving care, largely due to limited access to radiation equipment," says Tom Ladd, Executive Director. "Radiating Hope is committed to ensuring that there is at least one radiation therapy device for every 100,000-200,000 people – the current standard in the United States – in developing countries. This generous donation will help to further our efforts to meet this goal in Nepal, and we thank Elekta for their support."

"Worldwide, more than eight million people die from cancer each year and many people in developing countries have limited access to safe and effective cancer treatments," says Bill Yaeger, Elekta's Executive Vice President, Region North America. "Elekta is committed to expanding access to our radiation therapy devices and systems in areas with high unmet medical needs. We are proud to support Radiating Hope, an organization with a demonstrated track record in improving access to radiation oncology technologies around the world, and are pleased to help support the delivery of urgently needed medical equipment to Nepal." 

More than 26 million people live in Nepal, yet the country has only three radiation oncology centers and four radiation therapy devices. The donation of the four Elekta HDR brachytherapy units will double the number of radiation therapy devices, which is expected to provide increased access to care to a significant number of Nepalese cancer patients.

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Gert van Santen, Group Vice President Corporate Communications, Elekta AB

Tel: +31 653 561 242, e-mail: [email protected]

Time zone: CET: Central European Time

Raven Canzeri, Global Public Relations Manager, Elekta

Tel: +1 770-670-2524, e-mail: [email protected]

Time zone: ET: Eastern Time

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SOURCE Elekta