Karachi hospital houses machine treating most types of cancer

Cancers of most types can now be treated under one roof using a machine employing latest technology, Professor Dr Sattar Hashim, the Head of Hashim Memorial Trust, told Geo News.

According to the neurosurgeon, the machine called Synergy-S or Linac-Based SRS is dedicated for both intra-cranial and extra cranial application. It is an image-guided, robotic linear accelerator and provides image-guided radiation surgery (IGRS) and image-guided radiation therapy( IGRT). The machine has maximum accuracy in advanced stereotactic radio surgeries.

The types of cancers and tumours which can be treated by this machine include spinal, lung, bladder, rectal, uterine, prostate, breast cancer, cervical cancer, brain tumours and liver tumours, among others.

Stereotactic radio-surgery is an excellent treatment modality for patients who are medically inoperable, including children, as well as people of all ages. It is also preferred for those who require pre-radiation, meaning those who have already been treated with conventional radiotherapy, Dr Hashim said.

Dr Azhar Rashid, another neurosurgeon and among the few experts treating patients using Synergy-S machine, said that patients from all over Pakistan and neighbouring regions with various indications have been treated by the Gamma Knife and Synergy-S machine. A multi-disciplinary team of neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists and physicists decide the treatment plan for the patient after having all necessary work done.