Cape Breton Cancer Centre gets $3.7M linear accelerator

The ribbon has been cut on Cape Breton's newest cancer treatment facility.

A bunker at the Cape Breton Cancer Centre has been renovated to house a new $3.7 million linear accelerator.

Project managerChris Hillier says it is state-of-the-art equipment.

"I'd say nobody is getting better treatment anywhere in this country right now," he said.

The equipment can precisely pinpoint radiation to a tumour without damaging other tissueor organs, and will provide treatment to 30cancer patients a day.

The Nova Scotia Department of Health and the Nova Scotia Health Authority funded 75 percent of the cost.The Cape Breton Hospital Foundation raised $1 million for the project.

Foundation CEOBrad Jacobs says 150 people go through the cancer centreevery day, "so it's a very busy centre."

The new machine replaces one that was 18 years old.The centre's back-upmachine is five years old.

Previously,when one was down for maintenance, it would mean a bottleneck or patients would have to be sent to Halifax, Jacobs says.

"The wait time issue is now a non-starter," he said.

The first appointment using the new linear accelerator isApril 19.