Cancer is the second cause of death in Cuba after cardiovascular diseases and the first cause of potential lost years of life since 2003.
Radiation medicine technologies, specifically radiotherapy and nuclear medicine, are essential tools for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. They are used in practically 70% of these patients. Of the total number of patients who can be cured, it is estimated that 40% is due to radiotherapy or its combination with other treatment modalities. The Ministry of Public Health of Cuba (MINSAP) has given priority to a subprogram of modernization of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine throughout the country, within the National Program of Cancer Control.
Public Health in Cuba: a priority for the government and institutions of the country.
Recently, a program for the introduction of Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET/CT) was implemented with the acquisition of the 18 MeV cyclotron from Ion Beam Application (IBA, https://www.iba-radiopharmasolutions.com/news/first-radiopharmacy-cuba-just-had-its-cycloner18-rigged). The CYCLONE®18 enables the production of PET radiopharmaceuticals together with a laboratory for the labeling and quality control of PET radiopharmaceuticals (including radiolabelled compounds with Ga-68).
Other institutions outside the Cuban Ministry of Public Health are part of the network supporting the National Program of Cancer Control. This is the reason why the Higher Institute of Technologies and Applied Sciences [https://www.instec.cu/index.php/en/], from the University of Havana, launched the initiative of organizing a course in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in collaboration with the Division of Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, a world leader institution in the field. The course will contribute to the training of human resources for the management of PET technology and for research and development of new PET radiopharmaceuticals in Cuba [https://antonygee.wixsite.com/petcourse].
InSTEC contributes to the formation of specialists in Radiochemistry and Medical Physics, who work in all nuclear medicine institutions in the country. Participants in this PET course are professionals working in higher education (professors and researchers), health (doctors, paramedics, technologists, medical physicists, radiopharmaceuticals) and other research groups from agencies of the Cuban state:
- InSTEC, University of Havana (Ministry of Higher Education)
- Center for Surgical Medical Research, National Institute of Oncology and Radiology and Hospital Hermanos Amejeiras (Ministry of Public Health)
- Center of Isotope Production (CENTIS) (Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment)