Apollo Proton Centre to be opened in Chennai on Friday

CHENNAI: Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate Apollo Proton Centre here on Friday. The centre will treat cancer patients using advanced proton beams which will kill only the targeted cancer cells.

According to centre’s medical director and head Dr Rakesh Jalali, radiation therapy is an important treatment for many cancers with or without surgery and medications. Intense amount of energy destroys the genetic material that controls cell growth and prevents cancer growth. “But in the process, healthy cells are affected along with the cancerous ones. The goal now is to radiate only the targeted cancer cells. The damage to normal cells is greatly minimised in proton therapy compared to convention radiation,” he said.

The highly controlled photon beams are recommended as standard care in Eastern Europe for all children who require radiation. It has also been beneficial in the treatment of tumours in brain, breast, oesophagus, eye, abdominal organs, head and neck, liver, lung, lymphoma, prostate, soft tissue and spine.