Port Moresby General Hospital
Cancer Care
Our Services
1
Surgery
"Surgery is almost always the first treatment in the management of cancer in early stages, except when there is concern about organ preservation. Surgery not only removes the tumor from the body but is also imperative in providing the precise tumor stage and diagnosis based on the post-operative histopathology report."
Surgical services are offered ONLY through the PMGH surgical division
2
Radiotherapy
"It uses high doses of radiation in the megoltage range to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. At high doses, radiation therapy kills cancer cells or slows their growth by damaging their DNA. Cancer cells, whose DNA is damaged beyond repair, stop dividing or die. When the damaged cells die, they are broken down and removed by the body
3
SACT
Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. It works by preventing the cancer cells from growing, dividing, and producing more cells. Since cancer cells typically grow and divide faster than normal cells, chemotherapy has a greater impact on cancer cells. However, the drugs used for chemotherapy are potent, and they can still harm healthy cells.
Planned cancer care facilities in PMGH Cancer Center for Phase I - 2026
PMGH cancer center is a cancer treatment facility and not a cancer diagnostic facility and will cater only to confirmed cancer patients (i.e to patients with a confirmed histological diagnosis of cancer)
PMGH Cancer center would house two linear accelerators, one CT simulator, one brachytherapy machine, OPD clinics for medical and clinical oncology, 13 day care beds to provide chemotherapy services for the cancer patients.
Facilities available at the PMGH Cancer Center
OPD clinics
There are four OPD clinics to cater to the clinical / medical oncology needs of the cancer patients.
Patients who are needing biopsy or surgery would still have to meet the respective surgical specialists in the main PMGH hospital.
Radiotherapy: With the state of the art linear accelerators
Halcyon – type E
Single energy (6MV) Linear accelerator with Image guidance (KV CBCT – kilo voltage cone beam CT) and can treat upto 75 patients / day
​
Truebeam STx
Photon energies: 6 MV, 10 MV
Electron energies: 6MeV, 9 MeV, 12 MeV, 15Mev, 18MeV
Image guidance (KV CBCT – kilo voltage cone beam CT) with HD MLC – thin MLCs result in highly conformal treatment and respiratory motion management – for lung tumors
​
Chemotherapy Day care suites
PMGH cancer center would be having 13 bedded day care chemotherapy suite to cater to the chemotherapy needs of the cancer patients. An inpatient oncology ward is also being planned to take care of the infusional chemotherapy and supportive care of the cancer patients.
Brachytherapy
PMGH cancer center has planned a dedicated brachytherapy suite to cater especially to the treatment of cervical cancers. This would later be expanded to the treatment of other cancers like breast, head and neck, prostate etc.
CT simulator
CT simulators are advanced, dedicated CT scanners that are used in radiation treatment planning for both external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Precision medicine, curative intent, and hypofractionated treatments hold enormous potential for patients. Yet, they are only possible if the treatment planning data are absolutely precise.