INDIA – The Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) has expanded its treatment capabilities with the launch of the new Proton Therapy Gantry christened ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Therapy Bay’.
APCC is the first and only Proton Therapy Centre in South Asia and the Middle East and it is India’s first JCI accredited cancer hospital.
The 150-bed capacity cancer facility runs the largest Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) programme in the country which delivers individualized treatment plans for each patient.
Proton therapy is a radiation therapy that uses tiny particles called protons as excellent cancer cell killers. Protons deliver their energy but do not damage healthy tissue in comparison to photon therapy.
The Apollo Proton Cancer Centre has extended its integrated treatment suite that offers the most advanced treatment in surgical, radiation, and medical procedures to include an additional proton gantry.
The inauguration of ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Therapy Bay’ at the APCC aligns with its mission to provide the most comprehensive and advanced cancer care in India.
APCC’s new bay will allow the radiation oncology team to utilize an advanced treatment delivery technique known as image-guided intensity modulated proton therapy (IG-IMPT) in cancer care.
In a press release, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre said: “When compared to conventional X-ray-based radiotherapy, this IG-IMPT has minimal to no exposure of normal, healthy organs to radiation.”
IG-IMPT is a step forward in the technological advancement of cancer treatment, allowing for powerful radiation therapy to precisely target cancer in a manner superior to traditional radiation therapy.
It has a dedicated proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) nozzle and image guidance built in for the delivery of radiation with ultra-precision.
Leveraging sophisticated mathematical algorithms, the proton gantry features the Leoni 6-Dimensional Robotic couch for comfortable patient positioning (PBS).
“Inbuilt image guidance can result in accurate delivery of radiation to even the most complex tumour shapes with ultra-high precision,” claimed the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Tamil Nadu Minister for Information and Publicity M. P. Saminathan, and APJMJ Sheik Saleem, Co-founder of APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation.
Harshad Reddy, Director-Operations, Group Oncology and International at Apollo Hospitals, Harish Trivedi, Chief Executive Officer of APCC, and Dr. Rakesh Jalali, Medical Director & HOD – Radiation witnessed the opening of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Therapy Bay at APCC.
The hospital upgrade comes after the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre signed a partnership deal with Ion Beam Applications (IBA) to offer proton therapy training and education for clinicians in Asia and across the globe.
With this partnership, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre will impart knowledge through its advanced training and education program on proton therapy clinicians.
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