New cases of cancer in Tunisia reach 20 thousand patients

The main radiotherapy techniques and the long waiting times for the first treatment session are at the heart of a scientific day organized on June 17, 2023 in Tunis, at the initiative of the radiology departments of the Abdelrahman Mami Hospital in Ariana and Saleh Aziz Institute.

The head of the radiotherapy department at Abd al-Rahman Mami Hospital in Ariana, Lotfi Keshbati, said that this meeting will include a round table to discuss possible solutions to reduce waiting times for treatment appointments. He said that the number of devices available for radiotherapy is approximately 22 devices distributed between public hospitals and private clinics, but the capacity of these devices covers only about 10,000 cases of people annually. year requiring radiotherapy.

In this regard, he indicated that this situation entails the accumulation of appointments for about 5,000 patients annually, and a waiting period ranging from 5 to 8 months to start treatment, pointing out that the solution is to use high-precision radiotherapy. machines and to reduce the burden on hospitals so that they can maintain balance.

Radiotherapy is indicated in the treatment of 60% of cancer types, noting that the annual number of new cancer cases in Tunisia is 20,000 patients, 14,000 of whom undergo radiotherapy at some point in their course of treatment.

Radiotherapy is used to treat tumors of the brain, throat, gastrointestinal tract, and prostate. It also treats arteriovenous malformations and benign tumors.

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