Nigerian radiation oncology center launches advanced radiotherapy service

Based in Lagos, Nigeria, the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Center (NLCC) is one of three Nigerian facilities offering radiation therapy. Funded by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), NLCC is built upon a foundation of partnership and is committed to offering cancer patients cutting-edge care. The center, which opened in 2019, has treated more than 5,000 cancer patients with chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and external beam radiotherapy. While equipped with a high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy system, NLCC staff had yet to make this treatment option available to cancer patients due to a lack of hands-on experience and the necessary treatment accessories. HDR brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy in which a radioactive source is placed directly inside or near the cancerous tissue. Cancers commonly treated with HDR brachytherapy include cervical, prostate, breast, and skin.

At NLCC’s request, BVGH coordinated a digital and hands-on training program to help the center commission its brachytherapy machine and begin offering 3D HDR brachytherapy services to gynecologic cancer patients. Through its partnership with Rayos Contra Cancer (USA), BVGH engaged medical physics experts Dr. Kevin Xu (Kaiser Permanente) (USA) and Dr. Claire Dempsey (Calvary Mater Newcastle) (Australia) to advise NLCC staff on their brachytherapy preparations, including the creation of standard operating procedures and the procurement of dosimetry instruments and materials. Once the instruments and radiation source were in place, BVGH arranged for two experts, Dr. Samir Mouatassim (Varian) (Morocco) and Dr. Zakaria Youbi (Ahmad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Center for Cancer Treatment) (Morocco) to provide on-site training to NLCC’s radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiation therapy technicians. With Dr. Mouatassim and Dr. Zakaria’s guidance, the NLCC staff successfully commissioned the brachytherapy equipment, practiced the brachytherapy workflow, and administered brachytherapy treatments to NLCC patients.

Following the launch of 3D HDR brachytherapy at NLCC, BVGH coordinated a digital discussion between NLCC staff and Dr. Dan Scanderbeg from the University of California, San Diego (USA) to support NLCC’s refinement of its brachytherapy practices, including methods to calculate the biologically effective dose of radiotherapy. Gynecologic cancer patients are now receiving brachytherapy treatment at NLCC, and the center is planning to begin using 3D HDR brachytherapy to treat prostate cancer patients. NLCC’s Center Director, Dr. Lilian Ekpo shared that, “3D HDR brachytherapy is instrumental to the treatment of some of the most prevalent cancers in Nigeria. With BVGH’s help sourcing experts from around the world to guide our staff’s commissioning of the service, we can now be counted among the centers around the world that offer the cutting-edge treatment.”