Fortis Cancer Institute, Bannerghatta Road installs Karnataka’s first IORT system for cancer care IORT is an intensive radiation treatment effective for early stage breast cancers
Chennai, Feb 4th, 2022: In a major breakthrough in cancer treatment, Fortis Cancer Institute at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road recently installed IORT (Intraoperative radiotherapy) system for the treatment of breast cancer. IORT is a single dose of radiation given to selected cancer patients (mostly at an early stage of cancer/low-risk cancer) that reduces a 30 – 40 day radiation therapy into 30 – 40 minutes. The team of doctors led by Dr Sandeep Nayak-Director-Surgical Oncology, Dr Nisha Vishnu-Consultant- Radiation Oncology at Fortis Cancer Institute, Bannerghatta Road have already performed four IORT procedures on patients with early-stage breast cancers from December 2021 to January 2022.
IORT is a radiation therapy technique in which a concentrated dose of radiation is delivered to a cancerous tumour site during surgery after the tumour is removed. After surgery, recovery is normal and there is no need for any additional external radiotherapy. This saves the patients the additional time, effort and side effects of 30-40 days of treatment.
Currently, the IORT procedure is active only at selected centres in India among which Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road has the only active IORT technology in Karnataka. Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is an intensive radiation treatment that is administered during surgery and is more précised with reduced complications and course of treatment.
Dr Sandeep Nayak- Director-Surgical Oncology, Fortis Cancer Institute, Bannerghatta Road, explains, “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in India as well as the world. Many patients opt for complete removal of the breast even when lumpectomy is equally effective only to avoid prolonged radiotherapy. The idea behind adopting IORT at our unit is to precisely treat these patients with a single effective dose of radiation which gets over in just 30 mins. The patient does not have to go through the usual long duration of radiation just to save the breast.’
Dr Manish Mattoo-Zonal Director-Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore, “We are the only hospital in Karnataka to have the active IORT technology which has gained worldwide acceptance in modern cancer cure. In the treatment of cancers, early detection and treatment are most important – this state-of-the-art technology will further augment our mission to save more lives by treating cancer effectively at an early stage at Fortis Cancer Institute, Bangalore.
Dr Nisha Vishnu-Consultant-Radiation Oncology, Fortis Cancer Institute, Bannerghatta Road, explains, “IORT allows the radiation oncologists and surgeons to work together to deliver a full course of radiation treatment in one day. At the time of surgery, while the patient is under anaesthesia, once the tumour has been surgically removed, the patient undergoes a single dose of targeted radiation delivered directly to the tumour bed. It uses a miniaturized x-ray source to deliver a precise, concentrated dose of radiation directly to the tumour site while minimizing the risk of damage to healthy tissue in nearby areas of the body.”
As per National Cancer Registry Programme 2020, India’s cancer burden could increase from 1.39 million to 1.57 million by 2025.