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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Teen beats cancer after ‘ultra-high' dose nuclear therapy at Mumbai's TMC
In a pathbreaking medical feat, a 17-year-old boy suffering from relapsed Neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of paediatric cancer, was given a new lease of life through an experimental nuclear therapy conducted at ACTREC (Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer), R&D wing of the Tata Memorial Centre in Navi Mumbai. The boy, who was first diagnosed in 2022 at age 14, had undergone a stem cell transplant but suffered a relapse earlier this year, leaving doctors with limited options.(Unsplash/Representational) Doctors at the facility administered an ultra-high dose of radioactive 131-Iodine MIBG therapy, 800 millicurie, nearly three times the permissible limit set by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), making it the highest dosage ever used in India for treating Neuroblastoma. The procedure, conducted on May 5, was the result of a meticulously planned, three-month-long collaborative effort by six departments at ACTREC, with guidance from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the US. 'This form of cancer is almost never diagnosed early. Most cases, by the time they come to us, are already in stage four,' said Dr Venkatesh Rangarajan, head of nuclear medicine at Tata Memorial Hospital. The boy, who was first diagnosed in 2022 at age 14, had undergone a stem cell transplant but suffered a relapse earlier this year, leaving doctors with limited options. That's when the medical team proposed 131-I MIBG—a form of targeted nuclear medicine therapy. While Indian protocols have previously capped radioactive dosage at 300 millicurie, this particular case warranted a drastic step forward. 'Administering 800 millicurie required exceptional safety measures and a special nod from the AERB,' said Dr Rangarajan. 'The major challenge was to shield healthcare staff and others from gamma radiation, which meant constructing an isolated high-safety ward and ensuring no one except the core team was exposed.' Also read: He stole to fund his son's cancer treatment, was still behind bars when boy died One of the most dangerous side effects of such high-dose radioisotope therapy is bone marrow suppression. To mitigate this, doctors harvested and stored the patient's bone marrow before treatment. It was reinfused into his body after the therapy concluded. Another unusual condition for the therapy: the patient had to remain in complete isolation for five days. Today, the boy is back home, cancer-free, and dreaming of becoming a doctor himself. 'His resilience and the team's extraordinary commitment made this success possible,' said Dr Gupta.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Tata Memorial Centre to provide affordable high-dose MIBG therapy for neuroblastoma
Mumbai: A high-dose MIBG (metaiodobenzylguanidine) therapy for treating neuroblastoma, a type of cancer mostly found in children, will be provided at an affordable cost of Rs 7-8 lakh at a research body associated with the Tata Memorial Centre ( TMC ). The Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), a unit of TMC at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, treated a 17-year-old with a supra-high dose of 131I-mIBG on May 5. Talking to reporters on Friday, TMC director Dr Sudeep Gupta said the treatment of children with high-risk neuroblastoma, which requires a multi-modality approach including anti-GD2 immunotherapy, costs around Rs 75 lakh and has a long-term cure outcome of 50 per cent. "The anti-GD2 immunotherapy is exceptionally expensive and is not accessible to many patients in India. However, the high-dose 131I-mIBG therapy costing Rs 7-8 lakh is affordable. With 41 'hot beds' medical isolation ward, the largest in the world, the TMC plans to routinely provide this treatment to eligible patients with high-risk neuroblastoma," he said. Even the toilet and wash water from the room are piped to a sealed "delay-decay" tank so the radioactivity can fade before the wastewater is released into the regular sewer system. Live Events This is the first high-dose 131I-mIBG therapy administered in India with a 25-35 per cent long-term cure outcome, where the patient was administered 800 mCI of 131I-mIBG. In India, the standard dose of 131I-mIBG is 5 millicuries per kilogram (maximum 300 mCI). "The previous highest total dose of 131I-mIBG in a single setting in India has been 300 mCI. Specialists from the departments of nuclear medicine, paediatric oncology, haematological oncology (bone marrow transplant) and transfusion medicine were involved in the planning and execution of this complex treatment," Dr Gupta said. For the higher dose, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) gave its approval after the TMC submitted a report from a simulation experiment at the premises, addressing issues such as isolation protocols, radiation safety concerns, dosimetry calculations, patient monitoring and management of emergency crises. He said this treatment requires coordination of doctors, physicists, technical staff, nurses and auxiliary staff from the departments of nuclear medicine, paediatric and haematological oncology (bone marrow transplant unit) and transfusion medicine, and the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT). In India, 1,500 children are detected with neuroblastoma annually, Dr Gupta added. PTI
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Can music help treat cancer? TMC's new facility to study role
Mumbai: Music is known to improve people's mood and reduce stress levels, but does it have a role in cancer therapy? This is one of the questions that doctors at Tata Memorial Centre will try to scientifically answer once their new research facility in Khopoli, Raigad district, is established next year. The 100-bed hospital and research centre will test commonly held anti-cancer beliefs to ascertain if they have a scientific basis. "We will assess yoga's role in cancer as well as the effectiveness of ayurvedic medications, plant extracts, or seaweed in combating cancer," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, director of Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research & Education in Cancer (ACTREC), TMC's centre in Kharghar. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai He said social media mentions many natural cures for cancers. "We will check if these social media posts are worthy or harmful for the people," said Dr Chaturvedi. Music, like yoga, has many anecdotal reviews of having a positive effect on patients. On Thursday, when singer Shaan inaugurated a MENCAN initiative focusing on male-only cancers at ACTREC, Dr Chaturvedi said music has a role in palliative care and the Khopoli centre would explore the connection in detail. "Work has already begun, and it is likely to be ready next year." Music has long been used as an add-on therapy. Sarod player Vivek Joshi, who calls himself a 'music healer', has performed for inmates of Thane Mental Hospital on multiple occasions. A year ago, Jaslok Hospital conducted a pilot study to assess whether performing music or dance, along with meditation, checked the progress of Parkinson's disease. A 2022 study of 102 cancer patients in Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, Ahmedabad, indicated that those undergoing pain and palliative care experienced "notable outcomes from music therapy sessions, including a significant decrease in anxiety and pain perception, along with enhancements in mood and motivation". An American study of 750 patients found music could be used as a tool for "distress reduction" during chemotherapy. Patients were randomly assigned to either music (listen to music for up to 60 minutes) or control (no music) conditions. "Patients who listened to self-selected music during infusion showed significant benefit in improved positive mood and reduced negative mood and distress (but not pain) from pre- to post-intervention," said the report published in 2023. "Music medicine is a low-touch, low-risk, and cost-effective way to manage patients' psychological well-being in the often stressful context of a cancer infusion clinic."
