India’s first most sophisticated cancer radiotherapy machine within the public sector--the Hadron beam—is soon to be functioning at Tata Memorial Hospital’s Kharghar centre by December this year and they offer free treatment to 50% cancer patients.

This was declared on Wednesday at a ceremony held to put in the cyclotron, which can produce protons, during a special bunker at the ACTREC centre in Kharghar. While usual radiotherapy uses X-rays to kill cancer cells, the Hadron beam uses protons.

“The goal of any radiotherapy is to deliver the specified radiation dose to the target tissue and minimise doses to the encompassing normal tissues,’’ said TMH director Dr R Badwe.

The new proton beam therapy is so precise that it'll only target the cancer cells. Dr R Badwe further reveals, “We are going to be ready to reduce radiation dose to the traditional tissue, and thus reduce the side effects of radiotherapy.” To start with the Hadron beam are going to be used just for paediatric patients and hard-to-treat brain tumour patients. The Tata Memorial Centre’s proton therapy facility is going to be the second within the country. There are 77 such facilities across the world.