NEWS

Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC), the first and only proton therapy centre in South Asia and the Middle East and India's first JCI accredited Cancer hospital, shared detailed insights and facts about the most successful focused therapy for cancer – Proton Beam Therapy. True to the Apollo pillars of expertise and excellence, Proton Beam Therapy with focused and trained cancer management teams provides optimal solutions to treat cancer. Apollo Proton Cancer Centre has been successfully treating cancer patients from Bangladesh through the most advanced new-age technology.

Dr. Sapna Nangia - Senior Consultant Radiation Oncologist spoke on the Proton Beam Therapy at the conference. The experts share details on the rising number of cancer cases in the country and highlighted how complicated scenarios were treated with utmost precision – with successful personal experiences shared by the Bangladeshi patients treated at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre— Mr. Jamal Uddin, Mrs. Nur E Tamanna and Mr. Mozammal Haq Chowdhury.

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 targeted at the tumour without affecting many normal healthy cells. Proton therapy can be effective in treating tumours of the brain, head and neck, central nervous system, lung, prostate, and gastrointestinal system. Proton therapy is often the preferred option for treating solid tumours in children because protons can be controlled precisely so there is less radiation to normal tissues, help prevent serious complications and lessen the chance of secondary tumours.

Proton Therapy has multiple advantages that target tumours and cancer cells with precision and minimal exit dose thus reducing overall toxicity. It also reduces the probability and/or severity of short-and long-term side effects on surrounding healthy tissues and organs. It is favourable in treating recurrent tumours, even in patients who have already received radiation.

Commenting on the therapy and its uses, Dr. Sapna Nangia – Senior Consultant, Radiation Oncology program for Head Neck, Breast, and Gynaecological Cancers at the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre Chennai, said, “Proton Therapy has emerged as an excellent treatment modality for a number of cancers. One of the most common sites being treated at the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre is cancers of the head and neck. Patients undergoing Proton Therapy have significantly less discomfort during and after treatment and are less likely to require hospital admission, tube feeding, or treatment interruption. In patients with tumours involving the skull base, Protons improve the safety of critical organs like the visual pathway and the brain stem. At Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, we have the latest PBS technology which enables us to deliver highly focused treatments to each tumour, and each tumour 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.”

Stating his journey at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Mr. Jamal Uddin, said, “I was suffering from some lung disease. It was detected that a 5cm tumour present in the upper lobe of my lung and it was malignant. Few lymph nodes were attached to that. After PET-CT and some other tests, Dr. Srinivasan recommended 20 Proton Beam therapies and Dr. T. Raja advised me going for six chemotherapy sessions. I was told with Proton Therapy, there are no chances of side effects, and the possibility of cancer recurrence is absolutely low. Being assured by the doctors it began on March 24, 2020, and continued till May 10, 2020. During this period, six chemotherapy sessions and 20 Proton Beam Therapy were done. After four months, I visited APCC, Chennai where PET-CT was done and the tumour was not detected; there was no evidence of carcinoma also. Now, I have fully recovered and living my normal life.”

Mr. Saiful Alam, the husband of Mrs Shaheen A Chowdhury, said, “My wife was suffering from ‘repeated stroke’ as diagnosed by the Medical Board. Unfortunately, the Board couldn’t come to a final line of treatment. Then, one of our family doctors suggested that we should take her to South India for treatment. After a thorough investigation by Dr Siddhartha Ghosh, senior consultant neurosurgeon at Apollo Specialty Hospital and his team, they came to the conclusion that my wife was suffering from ‘Moyamoya’ disease. She underwent nine hours of operation. She was the second successfully operated patient in the world in 1999 and the first in Bangladesh. My wife is now leading a normal life.”

Mr. Saiful Alam, the husband of Mrs Shaheen A Chowdhury, said, “My wife was suffering from ‘repeated stroke’ as diagnosed by the Medical Board. Unfortunately, the Board couldn’t come to a final line of treatment. Then, one of our family doctors suggested that we should take her to South India for treatment. After a thorough investigation by Dr Siddhartha Ghosh, senior consultant neurosurgeon at Apollo Specialty Hospital and his team, they came to the conclusion that my wife was suffering from ‘Moyamoya’ disease. She underwent nine hours of operation. She was the second successfully operated patient in the world in 1999 and the first in Bangladesh. My wife is now leading a normal life.”

Apollo Proton Cancer Centre has a fully integrated treatment suite that offers the most advanced treatment in surgical, radiation and medical procedures. Apollo brings together a powerful team of clinicians renowned globally in cancer care. With a strong approach in treating cancer, APCC has an experienced multi-disciplinary team of highly skilled clinicians focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for their patients with utmost care.

Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, the most advanced Cancer Centre, and the first Proton Therapy Centre in South Asia & the Middle East and 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 & only site-specific Robotic Oncology Program.