A New Linear Accelerator Inaugurated at SKMCH&RC, Lahore
August 1, 2023
A top-of-the-line Halcyon linear accelerator with advanced radiotherapy capability was inaugurated in August 2023 in the Department of Clinical and Radiation Oncology at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore.
The Halcyon is six times faster than conventional LINACs, meaning that more patients can be treated in the same amount of time. The shorter time spent on the machine, its wider bore and integrated ambient lighting, all result in a more comfortable and satisfying patient experience. The Halcyon’s state-of-the-art six-point safety system allows close monitoring of the patient throughout treatment, enhancing patient safety.
This multi-million dollar machine replaces an older model and is a major investment so as to provide the best possible treatment to all our patients. This new technology at the hospital will cater to the ever-increasing number of cancer patients needing radiation therapy with a high degree of accuracy, precision, and speed.
We are proud to be one of the largest contributors to the medical literature on cancer, from Pakistan. In 2023, our research was wide-ranging, focussing in particular on genetic factors involved in causing a number of cancers, including breast cancer, as well as colorectal, pancreatic and oral cancers, in Pakistan.
We hope that this will enable us to develop improved preventive, detection, and treatment strategies. Our research division includes the Basic Science Research Laboratories, the Clinical Research Office, and the office of Cancer Registry and Clinical Data Management. All research performed at SKMCH&RC is of the highest scientific and ethical standards and is only carried out after review and approval by the Institutional Review Board, which is an independent ethics committee, responsible for safeguarding the rights of all subjects involved in research at SKMCH&RC.
The Cancer Registry has continued to maintain the hospital’s cancer registry, as well as the Punjab Cancer Registry, which is the country’s largest population-based cancer registry, initiated and supported by SKMCH&RC.
Research publications can be viewed at:
http://bit.ly/research-publications
