NEW RADIATION EQUIPMENT ARRIVES

Three new machines used to deliver radiation to cancer patients are under assembly and are scheduled to be up and running and improving wait times by the summer.

Several months of calibration and safety tests must be performed before the equipment can be used to treat patients.

RADIATION TREATMENT CLINIC TO OPEN SUMMER 2012

The 2000 cancer patients from mainland Nova Scotia visiting the QEII each year for radiation treatment can soon expect shorter wait times and improved care with the construction of a new world-class clinic with the latest equipment and technology.

The new Radiation Treatment Clinic, located next to the Dickson Centre at the QEII, is set to open this summer. The 2,790 sq. metres facility is part of the federal government’s commitment to reduce radiation wait times for patients to eight weeks. The provincial and federal governments are funding the construction of the clinic, and the QEII Foundation has committed to raising $4 million to purchase and upgrade life-saving radiation technology, known as LINACs (linear accelerators).

This equipment is used to deliver high dose radiation to tumours to destroy the cancer cells. So far, donors to the QEII Foundation have raised a total of $2.4 million.

NEW AND UPGRADED EQUIPMENT

These funds will help reduce wait times and improve patient care by: 

• Purchasing two additional LINACs, which will increase the fleet from four to six;
• Replacing a current unit, and
• Upgrading three other units

 “As a donor, it makes me feel proud that my family’s gift to the Cancer Never Waits campaign will ensure patients in our community have access to the best radiation treatment in the world. Anyone who is battling cancer deserves no less.”

Learn more about radiation therapy

For questions about the Cancer Never Waits campaign, please contact:

Julie MacKean
902-473-1778
julie.mackean@qe2foundation.ca