For the 1st time ever in the history of the armed forces hospital, plaque brachytherapy was effectively performed earlier this month at Army Hospital Research and Referral (AHRR), New Delhi. And this was attainable making use of the 1st indigenous Ruthenium 106 plaque from Bhabha Atomic Research center (BARC).
According to the Indian Army, “the R&R Hospital became the second government hospital in the country to achieve this landmark and is going to benefit ocular oncology patients in future. This therapy at the R&R is meant for the Indian Armed Forces and through this procedure their eyes can be saved and their vision preserved.”
Adding, “For the first time, this procedure was successfully carried out at the Eye department of AHRR. In fact very few government institutes in India have facilities for this procedure in the country.”
More about the therapy
Plaque Brachytherapy is a sophisticated and localized radiation therapy for therapy of recurrent retinoblastoma, as it gives focused therapy of eye cancer without having damaging the surrounding regular structure.
Over the years, the line of therapy for Ocular Tumors has undergone massive alter and now the patients choose minimally invasive technologies more than conventional enucleation.
For Ocular tumors, the key aim is to 1st save the patient and the next step is to salvage the eye and to preserve the vision as a lot as attainable.
The breakthrough at AHRR
This new and sophisticated process was carried out on a 4 year old boy earlier this month in Army Hospital Research and Referral. He had lost his left eye due to retinoblastoma and was not responding to chemotherapy and his suitable eye as well was finding impacted. The patient was at a danger of losing his vision regardless of getting numerous rounds of chemotherapy and cryotherapy.
Efforts of these behind the therapy
This therapy was carried out in collaboration with the radiation oncology division and beneath the supervision of Head of Department (HOD) Ophthalmology AHRR, Col SK Mishra, Ocular Oncologist Lt Col Sonali Vinay Kumar.
And this could not have been attainable without having Lt Col Ashok Kumar, HOD radiation oncology unit and scientist Dr Manoj K Semwal who played the most essential part – he procured the 1st indigenous Ruthenium 106 plaque from Bhabha Atomic Research center (BARC).
“It was because of the efforts of the Commandant, Deputy Commandant and HOD Department of Anesthesia that this facility at the AHRR was started,” mentioned the Indian Army.