Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai, Performs India’s First Total Marrow Irradiation Procedure
Saves 35-year-old
Nurse from Oman who was battling for life with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)in
blast crisis
Chennai: In a first-ever milestone in cancer treatment in India,
the Apollo Proton Cancer Center (APCC) in Chennai has successfully performed Total
Marrow Irradiation (TMI) as a conditioning protocol prior to Bone Marrow
Transplant.
Dr. Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “The
Apollo Proton Cancer Centre has opened new frontiers in cancer care and it is a
proud moment today, just a few months after the launch, to see the APCC achieve
this significant landmark with two successful cases of Total Marrow Irradiation
for the first time in the country. This achievement validates our investment in
the APCC in bringing this
best and latest medical technology to India. We are sure that the future will
see the APCC achieve many more milestones and take the battle against cancer
forward not just for patients in India but also from South East Asia.”
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(From
Left to Right) Dr. Dayananda
Shamurailatpam,
Head Department of Medical Physics, Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Rakesh Jalali,Medical Director
and Head - Radiation Oncology, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Dr. Jose M
Easow, Consultant Medical Oncology and Hematology In - charge of BMT
Unit, Apollo Cancer Speciality Hospital, Patient Ms.Fatima (35) Oman, Dr. Prathap
C Reddy, Executive Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr. Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson,
Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr.
Srinivas Chilukuri, Senior Consultant
Radiation Oncology, and Dr. Sapna Nangia, Senior Consultant, Radiation
Oncology at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai
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A
35-year-old nurse from Oman underwent the procedure at South East Asia’s first
Proton Therapy Center. She was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
with mixed phenotypic acute leukemia. After the diagnosis, she underwent
chemotherapy 2 cycles at Oman and achieves remission and then referred to Apollo
for Bone Marrow Transplant.The doctors at Apollo decided to proceed with Total Marrow
Irradiation based conditioning for the transplant.
The Total
marrow irradiation was successfully conducted from 18th to 20th
April and it was followed by two days of chemotherapy. The patient subsequently
underwent the peripheral blood stem cell transplantation on 23rd
April 2019.
“The
35-year-old patient was admitted to our hospital last month and after detailed
diagnosis, we decided to proceed with Total Marrow Irradiation followed by
chemo and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. The patient’s brother
turned out to be a full-matched donor. The patient has responded very well to
the treatment and is getting ready for discharge,” said
Dr.
Jose M Easow
“The
advantages of Total Marrow Irradiation over Total Body Irradiation is that only
the bone marrow is irradiated and the normal organs are spared like eyes,
thyroid, heart, lungs, kidneys, ovaries, both large and small intestines. So a
higher dose can be delivered to the Bone Marrow sparing the normal organs,
whereby long term side effects can be minimized,” added
Dr.
Srinivas Chilukuri
People
with certain types of cancers or other diseases including leukaemia, lymphoma
and multiple myeloma can undergo a BMT as part of their treatment. Before the
transplant, chemotherapy and/or radiation may be given to eradicate any cancer
in the marrow. Traditionally, Total Body Irradiation (TBI) is part of the
conditioning regimen before the bone marrow transplantation. This procedure
involves providing radiation to essentially the entire body.
“The
challenge in this case was to be able to deliver adequate doses of radiation to
bone marrow and sparing other normal organs such as lungs, heart, bowel,
kidneys, liver, eyes and oral cavity. With modern radiation technology it is
now possible to deliver Total Marrow Irradiation (TMI) which spares the normal
organs from radiation induced damage thereby improving survivorship without
altering high survival rates of bone marrow transplantation,” said Dr. Srinivas
Chilukuri – Senior Consultant Radiation Oncology.
“TMI is
an extremely time and labour-intensive procedure with gratifying possibilities
and will provide hope to patients towards a better life free of major morbidities,”
added Dr. Jose M Easow
About
Apollo Proton Cancer Centre:
Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, South East Asia’s
first Proton Therapy facility had been commissioned at Chennai, India in the
month of January 2019 and has foisted India as one amongst the few nations in
the world that offers this advanced cancer care treatment. The introduction of
proton therapy treatment by Apollo Hospitals group will be a beacon of hope for
3.5 billion people in the region. Apollo Proton Cancer Centre is happy to announce
that 30 patients have been successfully treated, out of which 9 patients are
from abroad.
Proton Therapy is an advanced form of radiation
therapy that is extremely precise in targeting cancer cells while minimising
the damage to the surrounding the healthy tissues. Proton therapy is a powerful
combination of high-energy physics and radiation that will propel cancer care
well into the 21st century and beyond.
Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) is a 150-bed
integrated cancer hospital that offers state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer
care, a major milestone in India’s concerted focus to battle and conquer
cancer. The advanced proton therapy at
APCC is complemented by a fully integrated treatment suite that
offers the most advanced treatment procedures in Surgical, Radiation, and
Medical Oncology. Founded on the pillars of Expertise and Excellence,
the Centre brings together a powerful medical team helmed by some of the
most experienced names in cancer care.
For
more information, please contact:
Name :
John Chandy
Designation
: Vice President – Proton Therapy and Oncology
Email,
Mobile : johnchandy_t@apollohospitals.com, +91 98400 69381
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