The tie-up will include knowledge transfer, training of physicists and doctors and clinical research, according to Ramesh Rengan, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy Center.
“We are also looking to set up a Joint Tumour Board to help identify the right patients to receive proton therapy,” he said, speaking to the press here on Wednesday.
Proton beam therapy is a kind of cancer therapy that uses a beam of protons to specifically target the cancerous cells.
In proton therapy, medical personnel use a particle accelerator to target a tumour with a beam of protons.
These charged particles damage the DNA of cancer cells, ultimately killing them or stopping their reproduction.
Belgium-based firm
“Traditional radiotherapy not only reaches the cancerous cells, but also has an effect on the surrounding tissues. There are a number of studies that show that proton beam therapy is a lot more effective in treating cancers when compared to regular radiation therapy,” he added.
Apollo Hospital will be importing a proton beam machine from IBA, a Belgium-based company. They will also set up a 150-bed facility at a cost of Rs.750 crore, Pratap C. Reddy, chairman of Apollo Hospitals, said.
“Apollo already has 12 radiation therapy centres attached to our cancer speciality hospitals, but this is the first time we are introducing proton beam therapy,” he said.
Proton beam treatment would cost around Rs.10 lakh, depending on the kind of cancer and the
ntensity required, he added.
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