Proton beam therapy bring new era in cancer treatment in BD

Proton bean therapy. Image collected

Jehangir Hussain

Proton Beam Therapy has opened a new era for cancer treatment in Bangladesh.

In South Asia and the Middle-East, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) of India alone provides  proton beam therapy.

Recently, a 6-year old Bangladeshi child recovered from Diffuse Midline Glioma cancer using radiotherapy and proton beam therapy at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, officials of Joint Commission International (JCI) said at a news conference at a city hotel in on Saturday.

Senior consultant, Radiation oncology Dr Sapna Nangia of Apollo Proton Cancer Centre gave a detailed analysis on the use of Proton Beam Therapy in treating cancer patients.

Parents shared their experience about  the treatment taken by their  child took at the centre.

Doctors said that Debosmita Sarkar, the child from Bangladesh came to Chennai from Dhaka for the treatment of double vision with limited and restricted movement of her eyes.

She was diagnosed with Diffuse Midline Glioma and tumour in her Central Nervous System, her treatment began in September 2022, at the end of radiotherapy and proton beam therapy the size of her tumour was reduced.

Dr Nangia said, “There are significant advantages of proton beam therapy over traditional radiation treatments. In this therapy, the healthy tissues surrounding the affected tissues can be restored  unharmed. As a result, its possible to use high radiation to throw out the harmful tumour without side effects.”

Dr Debashis Sarkar, the father of the child, said, “The APC centre has restored light in our lives. I am really grateful to the doctors and the others in this hospital. I’ll recommend the Apollo Centre to everyone fighting cancer.”

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