Safer and less invasive treatment. This is what patients across the country can look forward to thanks to a 95-million DKK donation from the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation.
Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, chair of the A.P. Møller Foundation, says
"Through this donation for the new and highly advanced scanner, the Foundation aims to ensure significantly better and less invasive treatment options for vulnerable patients, such as children, pregnant women and cancer patients."
At a meeting in the Regional Council on December 10, politicians in the Capital Region of Denmark approved the donation, paving the way for a revolution in medical imaging diagnostics with the world's first ultra-low-dose PET/CT scanner. A scanner with virtually no radiation dose, thereby minimising patients' risk of developing cancer later in life, even in cases requiring repeated scans.
Low-dose scans for Danes across hospitals
Lars Gaardhøj (S), chairman of the regional council, looks forward to being able to offer diagnostic scanning with much lower radiation doses, not just to residents in the Capital Region area but throughout all of Denmark.
"I am very happy on behalf of our residents and extremely grateful for this generous donation. It will provide even better cancer treatment, particularly for vulnerable patients like young cancer patients and children who require long-term monitoring throughout their treatment. It's fantastic that we in the Capital Region can be pioneers in this area and that patients from across the country can benefit from better and lower-dose scans," says Lars Gaardhøj (S).
An estimated 1,000 adults and 1,000 children will benefit from the new scanner in the first year, with potential for this number to increase.
The scanner will be particularly relevant for patients undergoing check-ups after treatment for breast cancer, melanoma and lymphoma, for example. Additionally, optimised pathways can also be predicted for patients with neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases and immunological disorders as well as transplant patients and children and adolescents with cancer.
The low radiation dose will also make it possible to scan pregnant women without risk to the fetus, which is particularly relevant for women who have experienced recurrent pregnancy loss.
The future potential of the donation has also sparked enthusiasm from Chief Executive at Rigshospitalet Rasmus Møgelvang:
"The scanner holds a huge potential to help support patient pathways requiring low-dose scans. This support will be available to patients whether they are being treated at Rigshospitalet or at other hospitals, and I look forward to strengthening our collaboration on how these new possibilities can benefit as many patients as possible," says Rasmus Møgelvang.
Danish researchers behind global breakthrough
The new scanner is currently being developed in the US and represents a breakthrough in medical imaging. The idea came from Rigshospitalet's medical imaging specialists, and Rigshospitalet will also be the first site worldwide to implement an ultra-low-dose scanner.
"The donation is fantastic news for all Danish patients. Besides reducing the risk of radiation damage, the scanner also significantly improves diagnosis. The high precision makes it possible to detect even small tumours and early stages of disease. This gives patients a better chance of early treatment and improved prognosis," explains Annika Loft, lead consultant at the Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine at Rigshospitalet and one of the researchers who helped develop the new scanner.
Scanner paves the way for new discoveries and better predictions
The elimination of radiation doses from scans will accelerate research projects that can advance our understanding of disease causes and treatment methods for patients both nationally and internationally.
"With this scanner, our research programmes can investigate whether frequent scanning can improve patient survival by detecting recurring cancers early enough for targeted, timely treatment," explains Annika Loft.
Scanner ready in 2027, but new technology ready in 2025
While the ultra-low-dose scanner is expected to be ready in 2027, the donation from the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation will provide Rigshospitalet with an interim advanced PET/CT scanner from 2025, ensuring patients receive the best possible treatment while the new technology is being developed.
Contact
Contact Regional Council Chairman Lars Gaardhøj (S) via the Capital Region of Denmark's press at presse@regionh.dk or +45 7020 9588.