Non-invasive radiation techniques are fast catching up with doctors in Hyderabad to treat brain tumours. The doctors at Apollo Hospitals are taking a lead in the city adopting new technologies to treat patients suffering with brain cancer.

With fast advancements emerging in medical technology, the doctors in Hyderabad are now catching up with the new and highly advanced technologies such as the non-invasive radiation technology, to treat brain cancer without actually having the need to performing the physical surgery.

“Using these modern machines for radiation, we can focus on the tumour and yet protect the other portions of the brain very nicely,” Sapna Nangia, senior radiation oncologist at Apollo hospital said.

The non-invasive radiation technique will enable the patients get radiation at the specific tumours without damaging the surrounding tissues. Damage to the surrounding portions of the brain can lead to paralysis and memory loss, among other things. A linear accelerator (LINAC) is the device most commonly used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer. It is used to treat all body sites, using conventional techniques. It delivers high-energy x-rays to the region of the patient’s tumour.

Using non-invasive technology, the treatments can be designed in such a way that they destroy the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. The LINAC is inbuilt with an X-ray and CT scan in the machine that helps to carry out investigations.

According to P K Julka, head of the department of oncology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), though there are other means of treatment like gamma knife radiation, they are mostly used to treat benign or malignant tumours which recur in the brain. A procedure using linear accelerator costs around Rs.1.2 to 1.75 lakh in a private hospital but is comparatively cheaper at around Rs.75,000 in a government facility.

It is estimated that worldwide, around 445,000 people are diagnosed every year with tumours that start in the brain or intra-cranial region. The risk of using cell phones is hotly debated. However, most recent studies have found that cell phones, cordless phones, and wireless devices are safe and do not increase the risk. Some inherited conditions increase the risk of brain tumours, including neurofibromatosis, Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and Turcot syndrome.