Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Long-awaited Proton Therapy Facility Virtually Inaugurated at Tata Memorial Center Kargal Campus on thursday.
The facility will be India’s first public facility, providing state-of-the-art proton therapy free of charge to 60% of patients in need. The remaining 40% will pay subsidies. This equates to almost a third of his 3 million rupees in the private sector.
“We will start offering therapy next week,” said the director of the Tata Memorial Center. Dr. Rajendra Badwe told TOI on Thursday. Academic research into the effects of proton beams on various adult cancers will begin in parallel, but treatment will begin in children, he said.
Standard radiation therapy uses x-rays (photons) to deliver radiation, which often affects healthy tissue around the cancer site. However, high-energy protons can deliver most of their energy to a specific point, reducing the risk of side effects and making them a safer option for children.
According to TMC doctors, there are 39 proton centers around the world with breast cancer, esophageal cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, gynecologic cancer, head and neck cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. There is evidence that proton beams are effective in cancer, spinal cancer, and soft tissue cancer. , especially lymphoma.
Not all cancer patients need proton therapy. Studies are underway in many countries to see if proton beams are superior to standard radiotherapy. Also, only 10% to 15% of cancer patients in India benefit. proton therapy. “We plan to initiate a study within the next 10 days to assess which patient groups will benefit most,” said Dr. Sudeep Gupta, director of the Kalgarh facility.
The cornerstone of the Tata Proton Facility was laid by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2014 at the Hafkain compound adjacent to TMC’s Parel Hospital. However, due to space constraints, the facility was relocated to the Kargarh facility. It was ready to launch three years ago, but the coronavirus pandemic caused further delays.
The TMC proton beam plant also has an Indian-made angle. The gantry was manufactured in India. “TMC is proton therapy We are the only one in the country with three gantry machines,” said Dr Badwe. The gantry is essentially a proton therapy chamber that rotates around the patient and directs the beam at the tumor from the optimal angle. Each gantry is several storeys high and costs between Rs 300 crore and Rs 40 crore each.
“We have three gantries, so the interval between two patients, which can be as long as 30 minutes in some cases, can be significantly reduced,” says Dr. Badwe. Even when the treatment of the first patient begins, he can prepare for the treatment of the second patient, and he can receive the third patient as soon as the treatment of the second patient begins.
“These are the first gantry made in India and we are now able to offer this affordable option to the rest of the world.”
