Mumbai, Sep 26 – The Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), based in Mumbai, is set to launch in-house research initiatives aimed at maximizing the application of proton beam therapy, a cutting-edge radiation treatment for both pediatric and adult cancers, as announced by an official on Thursday.

The Advanced Centre for Treatment Research & Education in Cancer (ACTREC) at TMC will spearhead these projects in collaboration with international researchers. Professor Siddhartha Laskar, Deputy Director (Academics and Proton Therapy) at TMC, shared insights with reporters during the one-year anniversary of the proton therapy facility. He indicated that approximately 15-20 percent of patients undergoing radiation therapy could significantly benefit from proton beam treatment.

In India, around 60,000 children are diagnosed with cancer annually, with an estimated 4,000 of these young patients likely to gain from proton beam therapy. Additionally, a considerably larger number of adults could also take advantage of this advanced radiation treatment modality.

Proton therapy utilizes protons—high-energy particles—rather than traditional X-rays, allowing for targeted cancer treatment with minimal side effects. When delivered at high energy, protons effectively destroy cancer cells.

Currently, the cost of a single course of proton beam therapy in the United States ranges from USD 150,000 to USD 250,000 (approximately Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore), according to Professor Laskar. The availability of this therapy at TMC, which operates under the Department of Atomic Energy, has made it accessible to a significant number of patients from India and neighboring countries, with a distribution of 40% paying and 60% non-paying patients.

Professor Laskar emphasized the growing global adoption of particle therapy for cancer treatment, highlighting the necessity for focused research to evaluate the technology’s impact on cancer therapy outcomes. He stated, “Given the anticipated influx of patients seeking treatment at TMC’s proton therapy facility, we are committed to conducting relevant research aimed at generating high-quality scientific evidence to refine the application of particle therapy for various indications in both adults and children.”

Over the past year, TMC’s proton therapy unit has treated 119 patients, with 62 percent classified as general category patients and 38 percent as private patients. Notably, 24 percent of these patients received treatment at no cost or were supported by funds raised through the hospital’s Patient Welfare Funds or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Among the treated patients, 18 percent were in the pediatric age group.

Professor Laskar announced that treatment for very young children requiring anesthesia will commence shortly. The majority of patients treated at the unit have presented with bone tumors (32 percent) and central nervous system (CNS) tumors (29 percent), followed by cases involving head and neck cancers (14 percent), pediatric solid tumors, breast cancer, gynecological cancers, prostate cancer, and gastrointestinal tumors.

“All patients treated at the center have undergone thorough evaluations by specialized treatment teams to ensure they receive the maximum benefit from proton therapy, completing their treatment with minimal side effects,” Professor Laskar concluded.