Apollo Hospitals Group introduced the most advanced CyberKnife robotic radio surgery system in the Asia Pacific. The world's first and only robotic radiosurgery system is designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body. The CyberKnife was unveiled at the Apollo Specialty Cancer Hospital at Chennai by Dr Prathap C. Reddy, executive chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.

"The incidence of cancer has been on the rise. Prevention and preventive checks utilizing advanced diagnostics needs to be every person's agenda to curb this surge. Apollo Speciality Cancer Hospital is one of the few hospitals in India equipped to provide 360-degree cancer care. In our continuing endeavour to fight cancer, we have brought the most advanced CyberKnife in Asia Pacific. It is the world's first and only robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body with sub-millimeter accuracy. Undoubtedly the next frontier in cancer treatment, stated Dr. Reddy.

"India is today a global hub for world-class healthcare and we will be adding another highlight with the launch of the CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system in the country," added Dr. Reddy.

The advanced technology behind CyberKnife uses real time image guidance technology and computer-controlled robotics to deliver an extremely precise dose of radiation to targets, avoiding the surrounding healthy tissue and adjusting for patient and tumour movement during treatment.

Developed by Dr. John.R.Adler M.D, Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology at Stanford University Medical Centre, the CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system is the first system in the world designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body with sub-millimeter accuracy. .

Elaborating on patient benefits, Dr. Sanjay Chandrasekar, Senior Consultant Radiation Oncology, Apollo Speciality Cancer Hospital said, the CyberKnife system has significant benefits. Many of the complications associated with other conventional cancer therapies are minimized or eliminated by the system. It can be used to treat tumours previously considered inoperable and most treatments can be performed even on an outpatient basis. In addition, it is possible to treat multiple tumours at different locations in the body during a single treatment session. Patient normally experiences dramatic pain relief after the CyberKnife treatment".

The CyberKnife system represents the next generation of radiosurgery systems, combining continual image-guidance technology with a compact linear accelerator that has the ability to move in three dimensions according to the treatment plan. This combination called intelligent robotics extends the benefits of radio surgery to the treatment of tumours anywhere in the body. In contrast, traditional radiosurgery systems have limited mobility and generally require the use of rigid frames for body immobilization to effectively target a tumour. It does not require any rigid frames or immobilization or even breath-hold to target cancerous tumours in the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas and kidney explained Romesh Kaul, president and CEO, Advanced Medical Systems PTE Ltd., Asia/Pacific.

"During a CyberKnife procedure, a patient lies comfortably on the treatment table, which automatically positions the patient. Anesthesia is not required, as the procedure is painless and non-invasive. The treatment, which generally lasts between 30 and 90 minutes, typically involves the administration of between 100 and 200 radiation beams delivered from different directions, each lasting from 10 to 15 seconds," elaborated Dr. P. Mahadev Potharaju, senior consultant radiation oncology, Apollo Specialty Cancer Hospital.