State-of-the-art radiation oncology facility opens at Narayana Health City

Bengaluru: The radiation oncology department of Narayana Health City has reinforced its treatment capabilities by introducing Elekta Synergy with latest Agility -multileaf collimator head with latest Monaco planning system (version-5.51.10), the latest in radiation therapy. The all- new facility was inaugurated by Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health on Thursday.

The upgraded facility will help doctors to provide not only the traditional treatments (3DCRT, IMRT and VMAT) but also latest stereotactic treatments (SRS, SRT, SBRT) with more precision, reduced treatment time on the couch and faster and better treatment planning. The stereotactic treatment will have the ability to treat tumours as small as 5mm and also some non-malignant functional disorders (like trigeminal neuralgias) with more precision.

With this latest addition, radiation oncology department is expecting improvement in treatment delivery control thereby reducing the time patients spend on the treatment couch or in the hospital. Some of the new introductions are, The New Agility Head – it reduces treatment time on couch for traditional treatments like 3D, IMRT and VMAT and stereotactic treatments like (SRS, SRT, SBRT) with more precision. The system includes a HexaPOD which is guided by an infrared camera enabling sub-millimeter patient positioning accuracy in six degrees of freedom during treatment delivery.

MONACO planning system - It allows faster and better resolution treatment planning. SRS cones for stereotactic treatment – It will improve the ability to treat tumours as small as 5mm and also some non-malignant functional disorders like trigeminal neuralgias with more precision. New removable stereotactic masks - will allow patients to undergo SRS treatment without invasive frames. Flattening filter free – will improve ability to deliver superior treatment plans for stereotactic treatments especially for patients with cancers of prostate, lung, pancreas, brain and many more

Elaborating about the need for the new and upgraded facility, the Chairman, Narayana Health, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty said, "Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in our country. Though treatable, owing to lack of awareness, early detection, access to quality diagnostics and treatment facilities, patients often have to go through many hardships and present for treatment at later stages. At Narayana Health, patient well-being is at the heart of our operations. We want to offer the best and the latest medical facilities to our patients and the installation of the latest Agility collimator with latest Monaco planning system and other upgrades is an extension of this vision."

The Brachytherapy system which is used to treat the breast cancer has also been upgraded to Varian's Brachy-vision with Eclipse planning software and new applicators. Other improvements include greater dose delivery accuracy and better contouring software solutions helping the team to offer better outcomes.

Radiation Oncology Department at Narayana Health City is one of the leading departments in South India. It was the first in South India to start VMAT.

The department has treated more than 10,000 patients with various radiation therapies. It has performed highly conformal SRS (Stereotactic radiosurgery), SRT (Stereotactic Radiation Therapy) and SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy) treatments for brain, lung, bone, prostate and many more. The department also has expertise in performing complex radiation treatments like Craniospinal Irradiation and Total Body Irradiation. With the all-new capabilities, the department will be able to significantly improve its range of treatment options it can offer to the patients.