Energy on global nuclear medicine drive to enhance diagnosis and treatment of dread diseases

The South African delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology Applications, led by Deputy Minister for Electricity and Energy, Samantha Graham-Maré, will highlight South Africa's participation in the IAEA Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All initiative. This is led by the world-class Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI) facility at Steve Biko Academic Hospital under Professor Mike Sathekge, who is a key member of the delegation.

Rays for Hope was launched by the IAEA in 2022, in response to findings that the majority of countries don’t provide access to radiotherapy for cancer treatment, with only 30% of African countries have functional radiotherapy services. In 2022 alone, over 20 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed and 10 million people died from this dread disease, with over 7 million people dying in low- and middle-income countries. In 2020, South Africa had a cancer-related mortality rate of 110.7 per 100 000 people, the 79th highest in the world.

World-class centres like NuMeRI provide hope for expanding cutting-edge nuclear medicine technology into South Africa's fragile public healthcare system, and from there into the rest of Africa. Knowledge and technical exchanges through Rays of Hope will provide for these vital advances in diagnosing and treating dread diseases such as cancer and heart diseases, two of the largest killers on the continent. Numeri is one of three Rays of Hope Anchor Centres in Africa, together with those in Morocco and Algeria.

Currently, the leading technology for the most accurate evaluation of cancers is through PET-CT scanners, which offer far more sensitive and specific information on the disease to enable better cancer management plans and support improved patient outcomes. These scans provide information that doctors have better positions to create tailored treatment plans, resulting in improved survival rates, less under or over treatment, and in many instances a lower total cost of care. PET-CT scans rely on specific radioisotopes, which are currently produced by public entities NTP Radioisotopes and iThemba Labs, with additional production capacity in the private sector.

According to the South African Society of Nuclear Medicine, and has highlighted in a recent published research paper by Life Healthcare, while South Africa adopts global best practices across other illnesses and diseases, cancer care has seen a slower uptake. This is reflected by the increasing adoption of PET-CT scans, with 24 scanners in the private sector and 11 in the public sector. This research paper has identified a significant gap in the use of PET-CT scans in South African cancer diagnostic and management practices, with the country contributing to newer indications on PET-CT.

The Life Healthcare paper highlights that PET-CT scans provide better diagnostic results and treatment outcomes for breast cancer compared to conventional methods. However, inconsistent funding and referral pathways are major barriers to wider adoption, and the paper suggests that alternative reimbursement models could help overcome these obstacles. To align with international best practices, the paper recommends integrating PET-CT scans into standard clinical practice in South Africa.

Graham-Maré: "I survived breast cancer twice, and like thousands of women treated through the Eastern Cape public healthcare system, I suffered from an under resourced, one-size-fits-all treatment plan which contributed to my second diagnosis of cancer. I am committed to ensuring that South Africa becomes a leader for using nuclear medicine to dramatically reduce cancer mortality rates both at home and across the continent. We will need strong public-private partnerships to drive progress in public sector cancer programmes, and to increase the production of radio-isotopes to make PET-CT scans more cost-effective. I am grateful to the IAEA for the Rays of Hope initiative, and this clearly demonstrates our shared goal to collaborate on peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology for the benefit of all."

“The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading private organisation to expand medical radio-isotope production through Necsa's subsidiary, NTP Radioisotopes. This demonstrates the commitment of the Ministry of Electricity & Energy to drive public-private partnerships that will support the Rays for Hope initiative and drive job creation.”

Speaking at the “South Africa’s nuclear leadership: Paving the way for continental cooperation” event hosted by the South African Embassy in Vienna, Prof. Sathekge underscored the impact of theranostics (the use of medical radio-isotopes) in advancing personalized and more effective treatment of cancer and that the Steve Biko-NuMeRI Anchor Center will drive the expansion in training and implementation of theranostics in the region, along with the provision of radio-
isotopes, in line with the core objectives of Rays of Hope.

South Africa's participation in the Conference includes the IAEA initiatives Atoms4Food (together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics), Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All, Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) and Atoms4NetZero. The Conference runs from 26-28 November.

For media enquiries:
Tsakane Khambane
Spokesperson in Ministry of Electricity and Energy 
Cell: 082 084 5566 
E-mail: Tsakane.Khambane@dmre.gov.za