Accurate, Non-Invasive: How This Latest Robotic Tech at Chennai Hospital is Treating Cancer, Tumour

Sub-millimetre accuracy, precise tumour tracking, non-invasive and painless — Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai has become the first hospital in Southeast Asia to bring the latest robotic and AI-run radiation therapy device for the treatment of cancers, tumours and neurological disorders.

S7 generation CyberKnife – labelled globally as one of the most cutting-edge technology in radiation therapy – has been used by the hospital to treat 20 patients in the last month after it was installed on June 28.

Dr Shankar Vangipuram, senior consultant, radiation oncology at Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai, explained to News18 that “CyberKnife System is the only radiation delivery system which features a radiation delivery device called a linear accelerator, directly mounted on a robot to deliver the high-energy X-rays or photons used in radiation therapy.”

The device uses real-time image guidance and a robot to deliver doses from thousands of beam angles, setting a new standard for delivery precision anywhere in the body.

“The CyberKnife System has been shown to deliver excellent cancer control with reduced risk of side effects through more than two decades of clinical proof and successful treatment of millions of cancer patients,” Vangipuram said.

The cost of treatments starts from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 7 lakh, depending on a number of considerations. However, Vangipuram said it may vary depending on a case-to-case basis.

As cases of cancer rise globally and scientists jostle to find treatment avenues, Stanford Medicine has been conducting clinical trials for the use of the technology in brain tumours, it said last year. It is also evaluating chemotherapy and CyberKnife radiation as a combination treatment.

According to California-based medical college Standford Medicine, “CyberKnife can deliver radiosurgery by tracking and automatically adjusting for patient motion by synchronizing with it, delivering radiation with sub-millimetre accuracy anywhere in the body.”

Cutting-edge technology

Headquartered in California, Accuray manufactures CyberKnife.

The company manufactures radiation delivery treatments and claims that it makes devices for “the most complex cases while making commonly treatable cases even easier to meet the full spectrum of patient needs.”

Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai, in an email to News18, explained that the technology is a non-invasive treatment for various cancers and conditions where radiation therapy is needed. It treats tumours throughout the body, including the brain, lungs, spine, prostate, and abdomen. It can be an alternative to surgery for patients with inoperable or complex tumours.

Experts say patients previously treated with radiation or with metastatic or recurrent cancers can also receive this treatment.

“CyberKnife treatments are typically performed in 1 to 5 sessions,” Apollo medical centre explained in a note adding that the treatment sessions are non-invasive outpatient procedures and no anaesthesia or incisions are required, enabling most patients to continue with daily activities over the course of treatment.

How does it work?

The technology claims to use “cutting-edge robotics, advanced imaging and sophisticated software to deliver extremely precise, accurate radiation.”

The CyberKnife system uses real-time image guidance and a robot to deliver doses from thousands of beam angles for delivery precision anywhere in the body.

The robot moves and bends around the patient, significantly expanding the possible positions to concentrate radiation to the tumour while minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissue.