New cyclotron installed at University of British Columbia promises to improve cancer treatment in B.C.
The cyclotron is a machine that produces materials that doctors use to detect and monitor cancer and other diseases, and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced on Tuesday (30 January) that construction of the machine is underway. did.
“Access to medical images is essential to (making) a cancer diagnosis,” Dix said in Vancouver. “(This) new cyclotron and laboratory will increase the capabilities of PET/CT scanners. Increased PET/CET will enable physicians to accurately diagnose cancer, determine appropriate treatment options, treatment plans, and We will now be able to identify the right targeted therapies and ensure all British Columbians receive the care they need.”
There are currently four publicly funded PET/CT scanners in operation in the province: two in Vancouver, one in Victoria and one in Kelowna, with “more on the way,” Dix said. Ta.
He said about 16,000 PET/CT scans are performed annually in British Columbia, and the new cyclotron will give British Columbia the raw materials to do up to 41,000 scans. This is a “significant and significant” increase, Dix added.
The cyclotron, scheduled to be completed in 2025 and operational in 2026, is part of a total investment of $50.5 million, with the provincial government contributing $32 million.
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Most of that funding, $21 million, will go toward a new cyclotron and radiopharmaceutical laboratory, and the rest will go to TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator center, for research. The BC Cancer Foundation is raising an additional $3.5 million to support capital investments and his $15 million for important cancer research.
Dix said the institute will also advance research between BC Cancer and the Advanced Medical Isotope Research Institute’s TRIUMF.
“This shared facility will not only rapidly increase BC Cancer’s ability to produce radioisotopes, but will also help researchers predict future demand for radioisotopes,” he said.
Cyclotrons use a combination of electric and magnetic fields to accelerate subatomic particles to very high energies. Researchers use the resulting particles in particle physics, nuclear physics, and in the production of medical isotopes.
Dr. Kim Nguyen Chi, executive vice president and chief medical officer of BC Cancer, said these isotopes are key to cancer diagnosis and advanced imaging.
“For patients, this means more precise treatment and better outcomes,” Chee said.
Asked if the state had the doctors needed to treat cancer if it was discovered, Dix said, “The short answer is yes.”
He said it takes years to train doctors, nurses and other health professionals, something that previous governments have failed to do.
Mr Dix added that the situation had changed under the government’s health workforce strategy. “I think British Columbia is one of the most attractive places in the world to practice medicine.”
But Dix also acknowledged that more needs to be done in the face of growing demand from a growing and aging population.
“So, absolutely, we need to dramatically increase and support medical professionals and health care workers, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today with this announcement,” he said.
@wolfgangdepner
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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