SJMC harnesses Varian radiotherapy tech for cancer treatment

• Treatments can be done as quickly in 5mins, more accurate beams
• Non-invasive and incorporates numerous treatment techniques

SUBANG Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) said it will be using the Varian TrueBeam Radiotherapy System, which it described as a breakthrough technology in the fight against cancer.
 
With this system, treatments can be completed in as little as five minutes compared with traditional therapy that also has limitations for accurate radiation beams, it said in a statement.
 
The TrueBeam system is also designed to treat moving targets with pinpoint precision and speed, which helps protect healthy tissues and critical organs, it added.
 
“With the acquisition of the TrueBeam system, we are the first medical facility in Malaysia to offer patients leading-edge cancer care that brings hope in prognosis and treatment,” said SJMC hospital chief executive officer Dr Vasuhi Murugiah.
 
“The technology is a game-changer, designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body meticulously, with advanced speed – up to 50% faster, with shortened treatment schedules.
 
“The fully-integrated system is also able to provide our clinicians with treatment options that are best suited for patients based on their individual needs,” she added.
 
According to the Malaysian Oncology Society, one in 5.5 Malaysians are expected to get cancer in their lifetime, SJMC said in its statement.
 
According to the National Cancer Registry 2007, the top 10 leading cancers among the population of Malaysia in 2007 were of the breast, colorectal, lung, nasopharnyx (nose), cervix, lymphoma, leukaemia, ovary, stomach and liver.
 
The most common cancer in Malaysian males is lung cancer, followed by colorectal and nasopharyngeal or nose cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females, followed by colorectal cervical cancer.
 
The incidence of cancer in Malaysia has reportedly increased from 32,000 new cases in 2008 to 37,400 in 2012 and the number is expected to rise to 56,932 by 2025, SJMC added.
 
At the official launch of the new system at SJMC, its clinical oncologist Dr Matin Mellor Abdullah also highlighted that TrueBeam’s enhanced image guidance scans the shape, size and area of cancerous tumour with pinpoint precision.
 
This enables optimised treatment with targeted radiation i.e. project radiation beams with sub-millimetre accuracy directly at the tumour or the affected area, minimising exposure to the surrounding healthy tissue and cells.
 
The system has proven to be effective especially in treating complex cancers affecting lung, liver, abdomen, cervix, head, neck, breast, and more, he said.
 
Varian TrueBeam’s approach is non-invasive and incorporates numerous treatment techniques to cover multiple clinical situations, SJMC said.
 
These multiple treatment options with TrueBeam include: Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT), RapidArc Radiotherapy and also Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) & Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT).
 

Also at the launch, SJMC officially unveiled the TrueBeam radiotherapy treatment suite named after clinical oncologist the late Dr Ahmad Kamal, acclaimed for his untiring commitment towards patient treatment and services.
 
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