Cancer is a major global health challenge. It is estimated that the annual cancer incidence will rise from 19.3 million cases and 10 million deaths in 2020 to as many as 27.5 million cases and 16.3 deaths in 2040. About 65 to 70% of the increases will occur in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).
Even though radiation therapy (RT) plays a critical role in treatment for over half of all patients with cancer, there is a lack of access to this treatment globally, especially in LMICs. Linear accelerators (LINACs) offer state-of-the-art cancer treatment but for LMICs this technology is expensive to acquire, operate and service. The harsh environment in LMICs often negatively affects machine performance, causing large machine downtimes.
Project STELLA (Smart Technology Extending Lives with Linear Accelerators) is a collaboration among the International Cancer Expert Corps, STFC, UK, CERN and LMIC countries addressing the lack of access to RT by developing a robust and affordable LINAC-based RT system.