Ceylinco Healthcare surpasses 12,000 Radiation treatments for cancer

Sri Lanka’s pioneer private sector cancer treatment provider Ceylinco Healthcare Services Ltd. (CHSL) has announced it has crossed the milestone of treating 12,000 cancer patients via a combination of cutting-edge radiation therapy and other forms of treatment.

This milestone in care was reached in September 2021; 14 years after CHSL introduced radiation treatment via Linear Accelerator to Sri Lanka, enabling patients to receive the treatment they required without having to travel overseas.

CHSL subsequently introduced TomoTherapy, another form of ultra-precise radiation treatment to Sri Lanka and now offers patients the options of two treatments via TomoTherapy and Linear Accelerator in addition to Radioactive Iodine Treatment and Brachytherapy.

TomoTherapy is the most advanced form of cancer therapy for the treatment of brain tumours, head and neck cancers, and prostate cancer and is preferred by clinicians, as it allows them to see what they plan to treat immediately before beginning each treatment fraction. The treatment ensures that tumours are not under-dosed, and that radiation exposure to surrounding tissue is minimised. The unique feature of TomoTherapy is that patients are exposed to shorter beam times with better targeting of tumours.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) that safely delivers precise radiation to a tumour combined with the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) scanning technology, and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) that helps doctors make immediate adjustments to allow for tumour movement or shrinkage, weight loss and other changes, are among the advanced radiation treatment options available at CHSL’s TomoTherapy unit.

CHSL upgraded its Radiation Treatment Centre in 2018 with the acquisition of a new Linear Accelerator from Varian Medical Systems. The new Clinac® iX linear accelerator delivers radiation with pinpoint precision at any angle to any location in the body. This unit also offers IMRT, IGRT, and 3D Conformal Radiotherapy which ensure shorter beam times for patients and better targeting of tumours. Known as the most stable machine for cancer treatment, the Linear Accelerator treats cancers of the breast, abdomen, lungs, and prostate.

Ceylinco Healthcare Services is also the only private hospital in the country to offer Brachytherapy (internal radiation) and recently upgraded its treatment planning and delivery systems with an investment of Rs 15 million. Brachytherapy is used in the treatment of cervical and endometrial cancer as well as oesophageal, head and neck, vaginal, rectal and lung cancers. With the upgrade, cancer patients experience more precise treatments offered by the new software which has 3D contouring and margin tools for anatomy definitions and image registration, fast catheter reconstruction algorithms for implant reconstructions, dose point optimisation and geometric optimisation.

Radioactive Iodine Treatment at the Centre is offered to patients with hyperthyroidism. It is delivered in a single dose and has minimal or no side effects.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s leading life insurance company Ceylinco Life, Ceylinco Healthcare Services Limited operates the most experienced and affordable private cancer treatment centres in the country. The treatment facilities offered by the Company are estimated to generate a saving of US$ 500,000 in foreign exchange per year.