By Aliyu DANLADI
Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, plans to start selling a Russia-made radiation therapy device to treat cancer in 2022, according to the corporation’s 2017 annual report.
“The development of a Russia-made equipment for radiation therapy based on a 6 MeV linear accelerator has started with the co-financing from the Russian Education and Science Ministry.
The device is expected to get out onto the market in 2022, the report stated.
“Once put into operation, the equipment could reduce Russia’s dependence on imports of modern medical equipment.”
The radiotherapy device is being manufactured by a consortium of enterprises under the supervision of the Moscow-based Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and was responsible for 8.8 million deaths in 2015.
Globally, nearly one in six deaths is due to cancer.
Approximately 70 per cent of deaths from cancer occur in low-and middle-income countries.
Around one third of deaths from cancer are due to the five leading behavioural and dietary risks — high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and alcohol use.
