In a first in India, Hyderabad hospital performs new cervical cancer procedure

The AOI announced that the radiation oncology team successfully conducted the procedures under the guidance of Dr Sushil Beriwal, a Fellow of the American Society of Radiation Oncology and American Brachytherapy Society. Dr Suneetha Mulinti was also part of the team.

“Brachytherapy is the most important and integral part of cervical cancer treatment. Conventional intracavitary brachytherapy might not be enough for optimal coverage of the tumour in all the patients and especially if they have significant residual disease after external radiation. The traditional template-based interstitial brachytherapy is a bit cumbersome process, technically demanding and at the same time has a higher chance of critical organ injuries,” radiation oncologist Dr Beriwal said.

“The advent of Varian’s new hybrid Aarhus interstitial brachytherapy applicator combines the advantages of both intracavitary and interstitial brachytherapy and integration of MRI imaging. This hybrid interstitial applicator with state-of-the-art MRI imaging can help increase the tumour dose and at the same time keep the normal tissue doses to a minimum. This advanced form of brachytherapy has shown to improve local control and reduce morbidities,” he said.

Dr Prabhakar P, regional chief operating officer, AOI, said, they were delighted to introduce the applicator into the department.

“According to the WHO, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women. Over the years, great advancements in medicine and technology have revolutionised the field of oncology and the survival chances of patients have improved drastically,” Dr Mulinti, senior consultant radiation oncologist, AOI, said.

“With this hybrid interstitial brachytherapy procedure, we ensure a holistic precision cancer care approach for the patients’ well-being. This has created potential opportunities to do advanced MRI-based hybrid interstitial brachytherapy planning at the American Oncology Institute,” she added.