Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital becomes the first public hospital in Kenya to offer Cyber Knife radiation services in Kenya and East Africa at large.
The hospital has been branding itself as an alternative to the congested Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret and to those seeking to travel to India for treatment.
KUTRRH hit the headlines sometimes last year when the then President commissioned the integrated molecular imaging laboratory department. The molecular imaging department so far has a commercial cyclotron machine installed, 2 PET-CT Scans, SPECT – CT machine, 265 Slice CT and a 3.0 Tesla MRI scan.
KUTRRH became the fifth hospital in the republic of Kenya to acquire the highly efficient PET-CT scan after Agha Khan hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Mutumo Hospital and Coast General Hospital.
The Kenyatta University linked hospital is however the third public hospital in Kenya to acquire the machine after Kenyattta National Hospital and Coast General Hospital.
In addition to the PET CT scan, KUTRRH is now installing a cyber-knife machine which is primarily used for treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors. The cyber knife system uses advanced technology to deliver radiation to specific body parts.
How Cyber Knife Machine Works
For specificity and preciseness, the cyber knife system is highly dependent on robotics, imaging techniques and advanced computer software. The imaging techniques installed in the system helps it to track the location, position, shape and size of the tumor during treatment for the cyber knife to adjust accordingly.
Cyber Knife system robotic arm is configured in a way that it can deliver radiations to tumors in six different angles precisely protecting other nearby body tissues from damage.
The imaging technology installed in this system allows it to capture the anatomy of the patient to determine the shape and position of the tumor. Imaging offers real time tracking and any change in movement of the patient that might change the position of the tumor, cyber knife adjusts the radiation beam accordingly.
Cyber Knife Technology also utilizes Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy to precisely deliver high dosages of radiations to the tumor a few times compared to the conventional chemotherapy procedures.
With cyber knife technology, delivery of radiation beams is noninvasive. No incision or anesthesia is required during the process. Patients can go home immediately after the treatment and start their day to day activities in a day or two.
Types of Cancer That Can Be Treated By Cyber Knife
This technology has been used in treatment of prostate cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, spine caner, brain tumor, pancreatic cancer among many others. The technology is also used to treat non-cancerous conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia and acoustic neuromas
Once operationalized, Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital will become the second public Hospital in Africa to offer cyber knife services after Egypt. Agha Khan University Hospital also offers the cyber knife radiation services.
