Soon, Tata Memorial hosp in Kharghar to offer proton therapy for paediatric cancer patients

Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy in which protons (positively charged particles) are used for attacking cancer cells instead of the standard radiation using x-rays (photons). The proton beams are more precise than x-ray beams which cause minimal damage to healthy tissue and vital organs

Navi Mumbai: The Tata Memorial Hospital’s Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) in Kharghar is all set to start treating paediatric cancer patients with proton therapy by the year-end.

Soon, Tata Memorial hosp in Kharghar to offer proton therapy for paediatric cancer patients

Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy in which protons (positively charged particles) are used for attacking cancer cells instead of the standard radiation using x-rays (photons). The proton beams are more precise than x-ray beams which cause minimal damage to healthy tissue and vital organs.

ACTREC, which is the first public sector proton therapy unit in India, started the treatment three months back and has treated three adult cancer patients mainly having bone tumours.

“We are ramping up our proton therapy unit by adding up two more clinical rooms and starting paediatric cancer treatment next month. At present, only one clinical room is operative where we have finished treatment of three and ten are being treated,” Dr Siddhartha Laskar, professor of radiation oncology, TMC who is overseeing the proton therapy.

Dr Laskar added they have now included head and neck cancer, abdomen cancer, and pelvis cancer patients. Speaking about treating paediatric cancer patients, Dr Laskar said they are in the process of deciding on which cases to choose for the therapy.

“We are getting enquiries for paediatric cancer patient treatment. Most likely it will be paediatric cancer patients with malignant tumours in the head and neck region (behind the nose). To treat this cancer type, we need technology that will spare normal tissues as this area involves optic nerves, brain stem of the spinal cord,” he said.

TMH’s proton therapy is provided free of charge to 60% of economically weak cancer patients while the remaining get at a subsidised rate.

On October 26, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi who visited ACTREC said the centre will be one of the anchor centres for the ‘Ray of Hope’ programme it launched last year with the aim to assist low and middle-income countries with their urgent need to introduce and improve radiation medicine capacities and build the cancer care workforce.

The only other hospital in the country to have proton therapy is Apollo Hospital, Chennai started in 2017.