Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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USA Allocates One Million Dollars to Help Egyptian Cancer Patients

Through funds from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the USA is providing USD 1 million to help enhance Egypt’s radiation therapy capabilities for cancer patients.

Staff Writer

With several facilities solely dedicated to cancer treatment and research, Egypt certainly doesn’t take the fight against the disease lightly. But determination can only take one so far; these institutions rely heavily on donations, which can make any kind of progress sporadic. But Egypt’s fight against cancer is about to get a boost as the US’s Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is allocating USD 1 million to be used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to improve Egypt’s radiation therapy for cancer patients.


The fund will be used to purchase medical linear accelerators, otherwise known as a LINAC. This technology customises high energy x-rays to conform to the shape of the tumour, and destroys cancer cells during external beam radiation treatment without affecting surrounding tissue. Almost like the nuclear version of a scalpel.


This falls under a much bigger objective by the US which focuses on funding projects that peacefully use nuclear technologies through the IAEA. The fund is also part of the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme, which works to improve Egypt’s quality management systems, radiation oncology, and various clinical services.