In a major step forward for oncology treatment in Maharashtra, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) announced that it will establish 18 cancer care centres across the hinterland of the state. This was accompanied by the launch of the Edge radiosurgery system—a first-of-its-kind treatment in South Asia to offer a precise, non-invasive alternative to conventional cancer surgery.

Edge radiosurgery system was launched by the hospital in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Further, KDAH has made a significant commitment to cancer care by signing to acquire 18 advanced TrueBeam medical linear accelerators to equip the new cancer centres across Maharashtra. The first of these centres are expected in Akola,Gondia and Solapur to be operational during 2017. The rest of the rollout is aimed to be completed in the next couple of years.

Focused on advancing healthcare technologies and medical excellence to facilitate healthcare access in India, Tina Ambani, chairperson, KDAH said, “The launch of Edge and the announcement of 18 cancer centres across the state not only represents a significant milestone in our journey but reaffirms KDAH’s endeavour to make international innovations available and accessible to all Indians. Cancer is one of the biggest public health challenges of our times and we are ready to tackle it head on with our medical talent and world-class technology.”

This evolution in advanced radiosurgery was facilitated in the presence of internationally renowned radiation oncology specialists Dr M Salim U Siddiqui from Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, and Professor Carlo Greco, MD, Director of Clinical Research at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown (CCU) in Lisbon, Portugal. The doctors have been in India to share their knowledge and expertise in the new technology among leading oncologists from across India.

Highlighting the benefits of Edge radiosurgery to patients across the country, Dr. Kaustav Talapatra, Head -Radiation Oncology, Kokilaben Hospital, said, “This non-invasive technique uses a GPS-enabled tracking device that helps the radiologist constantly track the movement of affected cells even as the treatment is being delivered, which allows for treatment at affected areas with a high degree of accuracy. This precision radiation provides huge advantages in term of convenience, cost and comfort for patients as the number of sessions reduces significantly, with no incision or hospital stay, thereby enabling them to return to their normal lives within 15-30 minutes or less.”

“This is a major investment programme by Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital to remain ahead of the curve in adopting latest technologies in line with the best global practises in the area of cancer care across the state of Maharashtra,” says Ashok Kakkar, senior managing director, Varian India.

He further added that Kokilaben Hospitals planned installations of 18 advanced True Beam machines is by far the largest one time commitment by any single institute. Varian is the market and technology leader in radiotherapy and radiosurgery systems and TrueBeam is the most advanced platform offering fast and precise treatment. So, this programme should make a significant difference to cancer treatments in the region
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The Centre for Cancer at Kokilaben Hospital is one of the leading centres for oncology care that brings together multidisciplinary expertise under a single roof to offer a broad scope of cancer services, ranging from public education, screening and diagnosis to treatment, pain management and palliative care. The Centre has one of the biggest team of subspecialists proficient in dealing with the widest range of cancers, such as head & neck, lung and oesophagus, stomach and colon, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, kidney, prostate, gynaecological tumours, blood cancer & lymphomas, paediatric cancers and breast cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there are 12.5 lakh (1.25 million) new cancer patients reported each year in India. There are only a few comprehensive cancer centres in the country, a majority of which are situated in metropolitan areas. While the Indian Government has made cancer care a key focus area, modern equipment and a well-skilled radiotherapy workforce is vital to the rollout of more comprehensive cancer programmes in the country.