Inauguration of the International Cancer Centre in Lomé

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Extract from the article: Togo is now home to an international cancer centre in Lome (CICL). An unparalleled and advanced jewel dedicated solely to the treatment of all forms of cancer. It is the Minister in charge of Health, Prof Moustapha Mijiyawa, who proceeded to the....

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Togo is now home to an international cancer centre in Lome (CICL). An unparalleled and advanced jewel dedicated solely to the treatment of all forms of cancer. It is the Minister in charge of Health, Prof Moustapha Mijiyawa, who proceeded to the inauguration on Thursday, November 3, 2022. It was in the presence of his colleagues of Commerce and Local Consumption, Kodzo Adedze, of Kossi Lamadokou of Culture and a host of partners.

The International Cancer Centre of Lomé is based in the Amadahome district. It is a centre for the fight against cancer whose mission is to offer patients in Togo and elsewhere, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments to international standards. The CICL is built to provide and offer quality care and total management to all cancer patients, in a high quality material environment.

A treatment centre with international standards

Each pathology can be treated taking into account the latest scientific results and advances so that patients benefit from the same quality levels as in Europe. For Dr Rose Adjenou-Atanley, Director of the CICL, the opening of this centre is only our modest contribution to the realisation of the great vision of a prosperous Togo for the well-being of our brave citizens. "Today, in this centre, radiotherapy, which was a problem because of the lack of equipment, is available. We have the latest generation of equipment that allows us to treat cancer lesions effectively while avoiding neighbouring organs. Screening is done every day here and it is very important, because any cancer detected very early can be treated easily and cheaply, especially for breast cancer. What makes the CICL special is the cost of treatment. It is very low compared to the sub-region and it is accessible to the whole population. Our vision is to support the government's efforts to provide universal access to care. With the equipment we have, everyone can have their cancer treated like in American or European hospitals, but at a lower cost," she said.

Togo is the third country in Africa after Rwanda and Senegal to have a radiotherapy machine with "Volumetric Modulation Arc Therapy" (VMAT) technology, which is the latest technical advance in radiotherapy.   The CICL has a qualified staff of surgeons, biologists, radiologists, African and European anatomopathologists for a fast and high quality care of patients.

Minister Moustafa Mijiyawa, for his part, welcomed the establishment of the centre and congratulated the promoters of this work which, according to him, is timely. According to him, this initiative is an addition to the health armada put in place by the Head of State to improve the health of the people. He also invited the population to make the best use of this centre.

With early detection, we can discover cancer early. Any cancer diagnosed and treated early, cures 100%. With early detection and the therapeutic arsenal on site, completed by radiotherapy at the CICL. No one should die of cancer in Togo. Minister Mijiyawa also called on the population to adopt healthy and responsible behaviours in order to avoid the occurrence of cancers: ban alcohol, fatty foods, too much salt and too much sugar in the dishes.

The CICL is a member of an international group, expert in the treatment of cancer with more than 500,000 patients treated in Paris, Dakar and Kigali. The centre has already successfully treated several patients from Togo, Nigeria, Burkina, Madagascar and other countries. The CICL also provides a training framework for the "Elekta company", supplier of the therapy machine. In 2020, in Togo, during the same period, there were 5,208 new cases with 3,468 deaths. More than 75% of cancer patients must undergo radiotherapy.

William O.