PNG Introduces AI-Powered Cancer Treatment at Port Moresby Hospital

Papua New Guinea is preparing to deliver more precise cancer treatment following the installation of its first artificial intelligence-assisted linear accelerator at the Port Moresby General Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

The Elekta radiotherapy machine, supplied from the United States, has been installed inside a specially constructed radiation-shielded bunker designed to protect patients, medical staff and the surrounding environment. The technology is expected to improve how radiation is directed at cancerous tumours while limiting exposure to nearby healthy tissue.

 PNG Introduces AI-Powered Cancer Treatment at Port Moresby Hospital/Photo supplied

Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said the new equipment represents a major advancement from the cobalt-based radiotherapy machine currently used in Lae.

He explained that the older technology exposes patients to radiation as it penetrates towards the targeted area, potentially affecting surrounding tissues. The linear accelerator, by comparison, allows treatment teams to direct radiation more precisely at the cancer site.

"Radiotherapy machine, it's a linear accelerator from Elekta. Compare this to the one in Lae, it's a cobalt source. The thing about radiotherapy machines, if it's cobalt, it's going to burn your skin. It will burn your muscles all the way to get into the target.

"Whereas this latest machine, it subtracts everything and only targets the cancer. Precisely, to the point of a pin. We are so lucky we are building this at a time of the AI age. Machines now have inbuilt AI to assist technicians," Dr Molumi said.

Unlike cobalt machines that continuously emit radiation from a radioactive source, the linear accelerator produces radiation using electricity when treatment is delivered.

The cancer centre is also planning to install a second, larger machine in Bunker Two. The proposed TrueBeam system would complement the first unit and provide additional treatment options for cancers located at different depths of the body, including the neck, abdomen and other internal organs.

Dr Molumi said the second machine had yet to be purchased, with the hospital hoping to secure funding through the 2027 National Budget. Radiation oncologists will determine which machine is appropriate for individual patients.

Safety systems have been incorporated into the facility, including laser-based movement detection designed to stop radiation delivery if an unauthorised person enters the treatment area. Medical staff will observe patients from a protected control room equipped with computers and cameras.

The hospital also intends to decorate the treatment rooms with murals featuring Papua New Guinean cultural designs to create a more welcoming environment for patients.

Treatment planning will begin in a dedicated Planning CT room, where medical teams map the cancer site and develop a treatment plan. The information will then be transferred to the linear accelerator to guide radiation delivery.

Following treatment, specialists will use nuclear medicine imaging, including Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT), to assess how patients are responding.

Dr Molumi said PET scans can help doctors evaluate biological activity at the cellular level, providing information that may guide decisions on whether treatment needs to be adjusted or alternative approaches considered.

"After treatment is done, we will need to monitor at molecular level, because you don't know whether your radiotherapy or chemotherapy is actually curing this patient. That's where you get a PET scan. You can actually see the function at cellular level, whether treatment is responding.

"Then you can increase dose, reduce dose, or look for other ways," Dr Molumi explained.

Once both radiotherapy machines are operational, the facility is expected to handle between 30 and 60 patients daily.