Ceylinco Healthcare to import Sri Lanka’s first TomoTherapy treatment system

Facilities in Sri Lanka for radiation treatment for cancer will undergo a quantum upgrade with the acquisition of cutting-edge TomoTherapy equipment by Ceylinco Healthcare Services Limited (CHSL), the company that introduced the Linear Accelerator (Linac) to the country.

The company, a subsidiary of life insurance leader Ceylinco Life, is investing US$ 3.725 million (Rs. 500 million at current exchange rates) on a TomoTherapy Hi.Art treatment system from Accuray Inc. of USA, for a new treatment unit at Park Street, Colombo 2, in close proximity to its ground-breaking first radiation treatment unit.

“From its inception, Ceylinco Healthcare has been focused on making the latest techniques in cancer treatment affordable to a larger segment of Sri Lankans,” said R. Renganathan, Chairman of CHSL. “This new machine has the capability to treat the full spectrum of cancers, including brain tumours with minimal effect on surrounding tissue.”

The first machine of its kind in Sri Lanka, the TomoTherapy treatment system will enable Image Guided Radiation Treatment (IGRT), which brings a new dimension in delivering precise radiation to the target and sparing normal tissue, Dr. Sarath Abeyakoon Senior Consultant Oncologist and Medical Director of the Ceylinco Radiation Treatment Centre explained.

Eric Arnould, Senior Director International Finance and Administration at Accuray Europe said the technology used in the TomoTherapy treatment system enables a sharp distinction between the tumour dose and the dose to outlying tissue. The 360 degree delivery of radiation provides unmatched flexibility to treat cancers even in areas that are hard to access, he said.

The TomoTherapy treatment system delivers radiation therapy with a spiral delivery pattern known as TomoHelical. Photon radiation is produced by a linear accelerator which travels around the patient and moves in unison with a device called a multi-leaf collimator that shapes the beam. Meanwhile, the couch also moves, guiding the patient slowly through the centre of the ring.

The Hi.Art treatment system uses its unique CT scanner design to deliver radiation continuously from all angles around the patient. It features patented beam-modulating technology that divides a single beam into many smaller, narrow, six millimetre ‘beamlets.’ More angles and more precise modulation result in dose distributions that conform to tumours like never before. This, in turn, minimises damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

As both a treatment delivery machine and a CT scanner, the TomoTherapy system allows doctors to take a CT scan just before each treatment. With the scan, they can verify the position of the tumour and, if necessary, adjust the patient’s position to help make sure radiation is directed right where it should be.

 CTrue imaging, available only from the TomoTherapy system, allows clinicians to see what they plan to treat immediately prior to beginning each treatment fraction. This is important because anatomy can change from day to day. CTrue helps ensure that the tumour will not be under-dosed, and that radiation exposure to surrounding tissue will be minimised according to plan.

Ceylinco Healthcare Services recently entered into an agreement with TomoTherapy Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of Accuray Europe and the company’s authorised local representative DIMO (Private) Ltd., for the purchase of the TomoTherapy Hi.Art treatment system, which the company hopes to commission at its second radiation treatment centre in July 2013.

Established in collaboration with the Washington Hospital Centre, Ceylinco Healthcare Services owns and operates the state-of-the-art Ceylinco Radiation Treatment Centre at Park Street, Colombo 2, the Ceylinco Healthcare Centre and the Ceylinco Diabetes Centre, which offer comprehensive screening, diagnostic services and medical care in a comfortable and non-hospital atmosphere.