Technology boosts patient outcomes as cancer incidence rises: Life Healthcare roundtable highlights advances in oncology care

04 February 2025

Advances in treatment, diagnostics, AI, and nuclear medicine are transforming cancer care, offering new hope to many patients. This was the key takeaway from a media roundtable hosted by Life Healthcare ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February 2025. The event formed part of the organisation's ongoing efforts to improve patient outcomes and raise awareness of cancer care. It also aligned with the Union for International Cancer Control's World Cancer Day theme: United by Unique, advocating for a worldwide people-centric approach to cancer care.

The event spotlighted technologies that are improving cancer detection, treatment and patient outcomes. Technologies and innovations discussed included PET-CT and SPECT-CT diagnostics, nuclear medicine/radiopharmaceuticals, AI-driven adaptive radiotherapy, and integrated-care approaches.

The roundtable - held in Rosebank, Johannesburg - heard that the incidence of cancer is rising. The World Health Organization (WHO)'s cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), released the latest estimates of the global burden of cancer where it reported that in 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths globally As many as 35 million new cancer cases are predicted for 2050 - a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022.

This emphasises the urgent need for lifestyle adjustments, early and effective diagnostics and innovative modern healthcare. However, as cancer incidence rises there is a global focus on a people-centred approach to cancer care that fully integrates each individual's unique needs, placing the health and well-being of the cancer patient's first.

"There is a global move towards embracing a patient-centric and value-based model, supporting patients and their families throughout their treatment journeys," said Dr Holger Wellmann, Oncology Lead at Life Healthcare. "We're seeing more and more countries embracing a patient-centric and value-based model, supporting patients and their families throughout their treatment journeys with an emphasis on effective care co-ordination. This is becoming crucial in transforming patient care," added Dr Wellmann

Innovative healthcare systems are adopting integrated care models to facilitate better co-ordination and improve overall care quality. The concept of Integrated Practice Units (IPUs) in oncology is relatively new but has been gaining traction over the past decade. "IPUs are essentially patient-centred care models for specific conditions designed to bring multidisciplinary teams together to focus on specific types of cancer. "This approach aims to improve outcomes, enhance patient experience and reduce costs," he said.

Dr Masana Ndleve, Clinical and Radiation Oncologist at Curo Oncology based at Life Eugene Marais Hospital, spoke about the importance of the patient journey and the role of a multidisciplinary team in delivering holistic care.

"Cancer care is about the patient's entire journey, addressing not only medical needs but also emotional and psychological well-being. A multidisciplinary team ensures patients are supported holistically at every stage," said Dr Ndleve.

"Collaboration among healthcare professionals creates a safety net around the patient, enabling better decisions, personalised care and helping patients maintain their dignity and quality of life," she added.

Advances in cancer care extend beyond integrated care models with technology driving newer approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Nuclear medicine is playing an important role in cancer diagnosis. Dr Bruce Young, Nuclear Physician at TheraMed Nuclear, highlighted the role of Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET-CT) imaging in diagnostics. While various diagnostic tools exist, PET-CT scans provide a unique advantage by visualising cellular activity", said Dr Young.

"Wider availability of PET-CT is important as it can significantly improve patient outcomes, allowing specialists to precisely locate tumours, assess the extent of the disease and personalise treatment plans, often leading to less invasive interventions. The scans are particularly effective for cancers such as lung and prostate cancer," added Dr. Young.

However, according to research on PET-CT scans in South Africa, the country is lagging in utilisation of PET-CT for cancer diagnoses compared to international standards and practices.

Advances in AI are significantly reshaping cancer treatment by enhancing various aspects of diagnosis, treatment planning and patient care. The importance of radiotherapy in cancer management and its time-intensive planning process make AI adoption appealing especially with the escalating demand for radiotherapy.

Medical physicist, Sakhele Shiba at Yenzakahle Medical Physics Inc, highlighted how decision-making and patient outcomes through AI adaptive radiotherapy for cancer care are making a significant impact on treatment planning and radiotherapy treatment, not only for clinicians, but also for patients.

Innovative systems such as the Ethos™ AI adaptive radiotherapy system at Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital allows treatment plans to adapt to patients' daily anatomical changes in real time. Unlike traditional methods requiring time-consuming re-scanning and re-planning over two days, this AI adaptive therapy completes the process within 20 to 30 minutes, targeting tumours precisely while reducing radiation to healthy tissue.

"The Ethos AI adaptive radiotherapy system adapts to the patient where the radiotherapy needs to be administered which means radiotherapy is delivered very precisely. This enables us to personalise patients' radiation treatments accurately based on their anatomy on the day - targeting the tumour's shape and position on a daily basis. This is transforming radiotherapy treatment where patient outcomes are improved, less normal tissue is treated, and quality assurance is improved", explained Shiba.