To improve the quality of cancer treatment, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC), the first and only proton therapy centre in South Asia and the Middle East has indicated its readiness to partner local hospitals to provide quality cancer care with proton therapy in the country.
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; therefore, a higher dose of radiation can be targetted at the tumor without affecting many normal healthy cells.
Consultant, Radiation Oncology at the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) in Chennai, Dr. Nagarjuna Burela, stated that proton therapy has emerged as an excellent treatment modality for a number of cancers. He said patients that undergo Proton Therapy have significantly less discomfort during and after treatment.
“They are less likely to require hospital admission, tube feeding, or treatment interruption. In patients with tumors involving the skull base, proton therapy improves the safety of critical organs like the visual pathway and brain stem.
“At Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, we have the latest PBS technology which enables us to deliver highly focused treatments to each tumor, and each tumor is treated with protons, spot-by-spot and layer-by-layer. It has been proven to be successful in curing or controlling many cancers when used appropriately,” he said.
Explaining further, he said proton therapy can be effective in treating many types of tumors; it is often the preferred option for treating solid tumors in children because protons can be controlled precisely so there is less radiation to normal tissues, helping prevent serious complications and lessening the chance of secondary tumors.
Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, during the press briefing, stated that APCC’s decision to partner some hospitals in the country will improve the treatment of cancer cases and other related diseases that always have to be transferred to other countries.
He added that their presence will help strengthen the health system through capacity-building of the country’s health professionals.
“With the assistance and collaboration of the physicians from APCC, we will start to build capacity in the country because any case that they will treat here, they will teach. So that is a way to ensure medical treatment here in Ghana,” he said.
About Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC), Chennai, India:
Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, the most advanced cancer centre, and the first Proton Therapy Centre in South Asia & the Middle East is India’s first JCI accredited cancer hospital. At the bedrock of APCC’s approach to treating cancer, is its robust multi-disciplinary platform; highly skilled professionals who come together to form a cancer management team (CMT). Each CMT is focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for their patients. An added feather in the cap is the recent launch of India’s first and only site-specific Robotic Oncology Programme.
