• First center for proton radiation cancer therapy screening built in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand
• India is expected to have more than 15.7 lakh cancer patients by 2025.
• The need for better and advanced medical care due to increase in cancer cases.
• Apollo Proton Cancer Center is the first and only proton therapy center in the entire South Asia and the Middle East.
Lucknow: Now patients will get initial diagnosis and consultation for proton therapy in Lucknow itself. Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital is bringing a big change in the treatment of cancer. The hospital has announced the launch of an outpatient department (OPD) for the region’s first proton therapy screening. This is the first effort of its kind, which will make the best proton therapy treatment easily available to the people of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Nepal.
Dr. Sapna Nangia, Director of ‘Head Neck and Breast’ and oncologist in the Radiation Oncology Department of Apollo Hospital, will head the Proton Therapy OPD. Dr. Nangia has extensive experience in this field of cancer treatment and is one of the renowned cancer doctors in India. He has gained invaluable expertise in proton therapy through observation programs in prestigious US institutions, following which he initiated a proton therapy program for head, neck, breast and gynecological cancers in India.
Cancer cases in India are estimated to exceed 15.7 lakh by 2025. Due to which India is facing a difficult challenge on the healthcare front. Reflecting on the seriousness of the rising burden of cancer in India, Dr. Nangia said, “The rising incidence of cancer in India underlines the urgent need for proactive measures to improve access to treatments that improve cancer treatment outcomes .
Proton therapy is an advanced radiation technique using positively charged proton particles, which is fundamentally different from regularly available X-ray based radiation treatments. In this treatment, the normal tissue adjacent to the tumor receives less radiation than X-ray based treatment and the tumor DNA is also affected differently. The former has fewer side effects and the latter has better results even in radiation-resistant tumors.
Dr. Sapna Nangia said that in the last 5 years, a large number of head and neck, skull base tumors, breast, lung, sarcoma, prostate and gastrointestinal cancers have been successfully treated at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre. Elderly patients and those with co-morbidities have been treated without any problems with satisfactory results. At the same time, reducing the risk of radiation-induced second cancer in adolescents and young adults has also been very satisfying. An additional benefit of proton therapy in working-age patients is the widespread impact it has on daily capacity, quality of life, and further health care expenses.
Dr Mayank Somani, MD & CEO, Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital, emphasized the hospital’s resolve to improve healthcare services to meet the rapidly changing needs of its patients. “The opening of Proton Therapy OPD reinforces our commitment to provide world-class treatment options and ensure that patients have access to the best treatment nearby,” he said.
Proton therapy provides more precise treatment with fewer side effects for many types of cancer. These include head, neck and breast cancer. Apollo Hospital is the first hospital to start this treatment in India. Through proton therapy, Apollomedics aims to improve treatment and enhance the quality of life for cancer patients in the region.
