Wits Donald Gordon Radiation Oncology Unit installs the region’s first full Brainlab ExacTrac Dynamic device, with particular value for complex tumours and difficult-to-treat locations
Johannesburg, South Africa – 11 September 2026 – The Wits Donald Gordon Radiation Oncology Unit, located at the Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre, has become the first radiation oncology facility in sub-Saharan Africa to install the full Brainlab ExacTrac Dynamic® device.
The device can support radiation treatment across all anatomical sites and tumour locations. Its precision is particularly valuable where there is very little room for error, including small or complex tumours, stereotactic treatments, and tumours situated close to the brainstem, spinal cord or other sensitive organs and structures.
Treating a small tumour that lies close to healthy tissue or a critical structure can be difficult. Radiation must reach the treated area as precisely as possible. It should also limit exposure to surrounding, often sensitive tissue.
“This additional level of accuracy is particularly valuable when treating small, complex or difficult-to-reach tumours, including those situated close to the brainstem, spinal cord or other sensitive organs and structures,” says Tamlyn Abbott, General Manager of the Wits Donald Gordon Radiation Oncology Unit.

Detecting movement during treatment
Brainlab ExacTrac Dynamic® is an advanced image-guided radiation therapy and surface-guided radiation therapy device. It can be used across a wide range of conventional and specialised radiation treatments.
The device combines real-time surface monitoring with stereoscopic X-ray imaging. The surface-guidance technology monitors the patient externally, while the X-ray imaging allows the treatment team to verify the position of internal anatomy.
This provides an additional level of positioning accuracy across a wide range of radiation treatments and tumour locations.
If a patient’s position changes beyond the limits set by the treatment team, the radiation beam can be paused. The team can then check and correct the patient’s position before treatment continues.
The technology is particularly valuable in stereotactic treatments, where concentrated radiation is directed at a small, precisely defined target. Stereotactic radiosurgery is generally used for targets in the brain, while stereotactic body radiation therapy uses the same highly focused approach for tumours elsewhere, such as the lung, liver and prostate.
“Introducing sub-Saharan Africa’s first Brainlab ExacTrac Dynamic device reflects our commitment to providing patients with access to some of the most advanced radiation therapy technology available. Advanced image guidance allows our clinical team to verify patient positioning with exceptional precision, supporting safe and accurate treatment delivery and giving our patients confidence that they are receiving leading-edge cancer care close to home,” says Abbott.
From treatment planning to delivery
The full ExacTrac Dynamic device builds on the Unit’s existing use of Brainlab ExacTrac Dynamic Surface®. Adding stereoscopic X-ray imaging extends the Unit’s monitoring capabilities from the patient’s external surface to internal anatomy.
The installation also complements the Unit’s investment in Brainlab Elements radiosurgery solutions, which are indication-specific treatment planning workflows. They combine software applications for accurate image co-registration, automated contouring of tumours and organs at risk, consistent radiosurgery planning, and efficient treatment delivery. This is all designed to support precise treatment while helping to minimise toxicity.
Together, these technologies support a connected process from treatment planning to positioning, monitoring and treatment delivery.
Advanced technology, personalised care
A radiation oncologist, working together with radiation therapists and medical physicists, manages every patient at the Wits Donald Gordon Radiation Oncology Unit.
The team develops and delivers an individualised treatment plan based on the patient’s diagnosis, the tumour’s location and characteristics, and the healthy tissue and critical structures surrounding it.
The Unit also works closely with referring specialists, maintaining clear communication throughout treatment to support coordinated and patient-centred care.
ENDS
Media enquiries
Tamlyn Abbott
General Manager
Wits Donald Gordon Radiation Oncology Unit
Email: tamlyn@dgroc.co.za
Telephone: +27 (11) 482 9667
Visit https://www.dgroc.co.za




































































































