Breakdown of two cancer screening devices added to backlog in Sask.

Another Saskatchewan family has shared its struggle with long wait times when it comes to receiving a cancer diagnosis, this time because the machines were inoperative.

A Regina woman had to wait nearly two weeks for a PET-CT scan preparatory device called a cyclotron to be fixed so she could get her required screening.

Dale Schick-Martin, the facility general manager for the Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility, said this breakdown was larger than normal.

“This was a fairly sizable event,” he said.

But the team at the cyclotron facility are trained on the maintenance of the machine itself and were able to address the issue quickly.

Schick-Martin said the device was installed in 2014 and commissioned through 2015.

“Cyclotrons are generally pretty hardy when they’re well-maintained. Typically they can get up to 25 or 30 years of life,” she said.

According to Schick-Martin, the machine developed an issue on Sept. 6 and was back and running by Sept. 18.

With the machine being close to 10 years old, trying to find parts can vary.

“There are certain parts of the cyclotron that are difficult to source or replace. We have a very extensive maintenance program. We keep quite a lot of items in stock,” he said.

Once staff identified the problem, it wasn’t difficult to find a replacement but it did take a few days to source it, explained Schick-Martin.

The 11-day backlog resulted in many appointments being rescheduled.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), 133 appointments were impacted by the cyclotron being down.

Schick-Martin said there haven’t been any conversations about replacing the device anytime soon.

“I honestly would say that’s not warranted. It’s still well within its lifespan. It’s still in that first half of its expected lifespan,” he said.

As for the PET-CT scanner, in a statement, the SHA said it was down from Sept. 16-23.

That closure was due to a shortage of a radioactive tracer called fludeoxyglucose.

As a result, 144 patient appointments were postponed. According to the SHA, all of those appointments have been rescheduled.

It said the PET-CT scanner is back operating at maximum capacity.

Both devices offered additional hours and weekend appointments to make up for the losses.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with the exact number of appointments that were impacted.