The Minister of Health, Esther Monzón, took stock this Thursday, September 19, in the Health Commission of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, of the activity carried out by the Radiotherapy Oncology Unit of the Doctor José Molina Orosa University Hospital, in Lanzarote, since its launch on December 13, 2023.
“Its entry into operation has meant a qualitative leap in the care of cancer patients on the island, who have seen how their quality of life and comfort has substantially improved by undergoing radiotherapy treatment without having to travel to the reference center, the Doctor Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria.
In addition, the Minister assured that “the Radiotherapy Oncology Unit has been operating with total normality and the doctors responsible for the service rate its performance as very good.”
In the first eight months of operation of the Unit, 197 cancer patients have been treated in a total of 2,560 radiotherapy sessions.
Likewise, around 20% of patients have received comprehensive palliative treatment, which includes urgent interventions and serve to relieve pain and provide essential care to frail patients.
Regarding the activity in consultations, which began in June 2023, more than 1,700 patients have been treated in successive revisions after completing treatment.
These consultations have allowed monitoring of patients, supervising the response to treatments, detecting possible complications and relapses, without the need to travel to the reference hospital as was the case previously.
In addition, this activity adds that the Molina Orosa Hospital has implemented a pioneering system in the Canary Islands for verifying the positioning of patients before each radiotherapy session, which improves and guarantees the accuracy and effectiveness of treatments.
In this sense, the Minister reiterated that “we will continue working to improve access to medical services for cancer patients on this and the rest of the non-capital islands, to minimize the effects of insularity as much as possible, either by providing hospitals with better diagnostic and treatment means, favoring the movement of professionals or facilitating transfers.”
Radiotherapy Oncology Unit
This unit has two consultations, a professional work area, an administrative support area, waiting rooms and the bunker where the linear accelerator is located, with its control area and its corresponding technical support and specific areas for staff.
The Unit is attended by a team of 21 specialists in Radiotherapy Oncology from the Doctor Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria who travel to Lanzarote, so that patients continue to be treated by the same professionals who would attend them at their reference center.
The service also has a qualified Nursing team, four radiotherapy technicians, two administrative assistants and the physicists who travel from Gran Canaria to supervise the correct operation of the accelerator.
The radiation oncologists, in addition to assisting patients, collaborate in the tumor committees and in those activities and projects that are carried out around this pathology in the hospital.
Regarding the indications for radiotherapy and the care activity carried out by the Unit, it should be remembered that radiotherapy is part of the multidisciplinary treatment of cancer and is used in up to 70% of patients, mainly for tumors of the breast, prostate, rectum, lung, sarcomas, among others.
Most of these tumors are approached with external radiotherapy treatment, although some require other techniques such as brachytherapy and intraoperative radiotherapy.
