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Yashoda Hospitals Successfully Launched India’s First “Elekta Unity MR Linac”

Yashoda Hospitals, HITEC City becomes the first hospital in the country and one of the select few centres in the world to have launched the Elekta Unity MR Linac that has been revolutionizing cancer care worldwide.

Developed by Elekta, this ground-breaking technology combines the power of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with precise radiation delivery, marking a significant advancement in cancer treatment. It brings the best of the worlds of radiation oncology and radiology into one system.

With a conventional LINAC, imaging and radiation delivery are typically separate processes. Patients are imaged using external imaging modalities like CT or MRI, and then the treatment plan is generated based on those images. The Cone beam CT (CBCT) integrated linear accelerator delivers radiation to the patient based on the pre-planned treatment. But this approach has limitations in detailed visualization of the tumour and surrounding healthy tissues based on response during radiotherapy and probably leads to inadvertently irradiating the surrounding healthy tissue.

MRI has long been recognized as a crucial tool in diagnostic radiology due to its ability to provide superior imaging of soft tissues compared to CT scans. But despite the advantages had limited use in radiation therapy as the combination of an MRI and Linear accelerator was previously considered technically incompatible. However, in a revolutionary technological breakthrough, this merger of the power of MRI with the precise linear accelerator in a single unit has now been achieved by scientists and engineers at Elekta and the revolutionary Elekta Unity system with onboard 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner (Philips Medical Systems, Netherlands) with a state-of-art linear accelerator. Reputed cancer centres in Europe and USA have treated cancer patients with Unity MR Linac which is European CE-certified and US FDA-approved.

By harnessing the capabilities of MRI technology and linear accelerator this innovative machine enables precise, accurate and adaptive radiation therapy in real-time. MR Linac incorporates an MRI scanner directly into the LINAC system. This allows for real-time imaging of the patient’s anatomy during radiation treatment sessions. The MRI provides detailed visualization of the tumour and surrounding healthy tissues, enabling accurate adaptation of the radiation dose based on the observed changes in real-time. It allows for the targeting of tumors with unparalleled precision resulting in improved outcomes with reduced side effects.

“The MR Linac’s imaging capabilities provide valuable information on the tumour, response to treatment, and changes in anatomy and functional characteristics during the treatment course. This allows doctors and physicists to personalize treatment in real-time (modified during the course of therapy without interruptions) and to ensure accurate targeting of tumours and minimize damage to healthy tissues,” said Dr. C. S. Pramesh; Director of the Tata Memorial Hospital and the Professor and Head of Thoracic Surgery at the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai while launching India’s first MR Linac.

Dr. G. S. Rao, Managing Director of Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, highlighted the advantages of MR Linac radiation therapy over conventional methods. “MR-guided radiation therapy is now being utilized for various conditions, including benign and malignant brain tumours and cancers of the Head & Neck, prostate, pancreas, lung, liver and rectum. It is important to note that the specific applications of this technology are rapidly evolving as its capabilities continue to advance,” he said.

The Elekta Unity MR Linac empowers Yashoda Hospitals to provide patients with a range of benefits that were previously unattainable with traditional radiation therapy systems.

“We are delighted to bring the state-of-the-art MR Linac to India,” said Mr. Manikandan Bala, Managing Director of India and Senior Vice President of Intercontinental at Elekta. “This innovative technology represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment and demonstrates our commitment towards improving patient care. We believe that Elekta Unity MR Linac will be a step forward in the field of radiation therapy in India and contribute to better treatment outcomes.”