Apollo Proton Cancer Centre’s Proton Beam Therapy

 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.

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, today shared detailed insights and facts about the most successful focused therapy for cancer – Proton Beam Therapy. Dr.Sapna Nangia - Senior Consultant Radiation Oncologist spoke on the Proton Beam Therapy at a press interaction session held at Arial in Banani, Dhaka this afternoon.

The expert shared 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.

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, 'It is quite unknown but the advancements of proton technology as a treatment option for cancer began in the 1940s which has today developed to become Proton Beam Therapy.

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.

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, Md. Jamal Udden, 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. After PET-CT and some other tests, Dr. Srinivasan recommended 20 Proton Beam therapies. Even Dr. T. Raja advised going for six chemotherapy sessions. I was not aware of Proton Therapy, so I was told that 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. Thereafter, follow-ups were scheduled every six months at APCC, Chennai. On April 4, 2022, I went for a follow-up. With utmost satisfaction, it was found that no carcinoma-affected cell is growing. Now, I am fully rejuvenated and living my normal life. I am indebted to APCC, Chennai from the bottom of my heart. I thank all of them for my miraculous recovery.

Mr. SaifulAlam, 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 India, especially in the South, for treatment. In Chennai, we met Dr Siddhartha Ghosh, senior consultant neurosurgeon at Apollo Specialty Hospital. After a thorough investigation, he along with his team, 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. She recovered quickly and is now leading a normal life.”

About Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC), Chennai, India is the first Proton Therapy Centre in South Asia & the Middle East and is India's first JCI accredited Cancer hospital. An added feather in the cap is the recent launch of India's first & only site-specific Robotic Oncology Program. For more visit our website via the following link: https://proton.apollohospitals.com/