A Hyderabad hospital has decided to import the most advanced version of a proton beam therapy machine yet that promises to deliver easier, faster and sharper high-energy protons as part of radiation treatment for various cancers.

AIG Hospitals has signed an agreement with IBA, a Belgium-based equipment supplier, to acquire the Proteus One DynamicArc proton therapy system. The system is based on novel technology that promises to simplify treatment and delivery and increase the number of patients eligible for proton therapy.

Proton therapy, a precision radiation treatment that targets tumours while minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissues, is available in India at the Tata Memorial Centre’s Advanced Centre for Treatment Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Navi Mumbai, among other hospitals.

The DynamicArc system could make treatment sharper by delivering an expected lower dose and offering better dose conformity, according to IBA. Studies have suggested that DynamicArc may increase by 22 per cent the number of patients eligible for proton therapy and reduce by 58 per cent the average treatment delivery time per patient compared to standard proton therapy.

“The new system will be part of our new 300-bedded oncology centre coming up within the existing Gachibowli campus and will enable comprehensive cancer comparable to the best in the world,” said D. Nageshwar Reddy, chairman, AIG Hospitals.

The DynamicAct proton therapy system at AIG Hospitals will be the first-of-its-kind installation in South East Asia, the hospital said in a media release on Friday. “We expect the system will become operational by late-2027,” said PVS Raju, vice-chairman, AIG Hospitals.

It could potentially be used to treat patients with cancers of the breast, bone, brain, lungs and prostate, offering key advantages at each site of tumour. In breast cancer, for instance, DynamicAct can further reduce the dose delivered to “organs-at-risk” and lower the probability of normal tissue complications.

While proton beam therapy equipment is expensive, doctors say, it is viewed as cost-effective in the long-run for patients because it reduces the risk of complications, the need for additional treatments and lowers the number of radiation cycles.

Global statistics suggest that up to 20 per cent of patients prescribed radiation therapy could potentially benefit from proton beams. Medical experts estimate that among 60,000 children in India diagnosed with cancer each year, around 4,000 could potentially benefit from proton beam therapy.

The ACTREC proton beam therapy machine, operational since August 2023, has been used to treat patients with bone tumours, central nervous system tumours, head-and-neck tumours, and pediatric solid tumours, among other cancers. Between August 2023 and September 2024, 119 patients with various cancers had received proton beam therapy at the ACTREC.