How did Karkinos Healthcare accomplish 100 radiation fractions in a single day?

Developments in technology have, in recent years, revolutionised cancer treatment in numerous ways, enhancing both the effectiveness of therapies as well as the quality of life for patients. 

In radiation therapy too, several advances have taken place over the years allowing modern techniques to perform more precise delivery of radiation to tumours while sparing healthy surrounding tissues. 

Karkinos Healthcare, being a purpose-driven technology led cancer care organisation, has installed modern sophisticated radiation equipment to deliver precise treatment procedures. To increase process efficiency, Karkinos Healthcare deploys a multi-disciplinary team to enable smooth execution of radiation therapies. Karkinos’ Distributed Cancer Care Network (DCCN) plays a vital role in this seamless execution. 

Recently, on June 20th, at CIMS (Career Institute of Medical Sciences), located in Bhopal, Team Karkinos completed processing 100 fractions (100 patients treated) in a single day. This is considered to be a significant achievement compared to any cancer center, which on an average may be able to treat 40 to 50 cases per day with good quality. The achievement is all the more credible as this entire radiation treatment implementation involves the latest technologies like deep learning and AI, EMR, etc., which were implemented right from the commissioning time. This is a significant milestone for Team Karkinos testifying our commitment to making cancer treatment more accessible to people. 

This feat would not have been possible without a well-planned coordination among the different teams, which involved onco-physicists; cancer physicians; onco-nurses; business development team; and the management team of Karkinos Healthcare and CIMS. 

I must admit that over the last two years significant planning and execution has been done to see our efforts pay off successfully, today. As a team we believed in strategic planning. Auto contour, EMR, Portal dosimetry, OIS systems were efficiently planned and implemented coupled with effective management support in achieving 100 radiation fractions. This is a clear demonstration of how foresight in planning and leveraging appropriate technologies can lead to successful outcomes in cancer care, proving good operational efficiency. 

By implementing the Portal Dosimetry on the Elekta Harmony Pro LA at Bhopal’s Karkinos-CIMS, we aim to take quality care to cancer fighters. This patient-specific quality assurance method not only saves 90 minutes of machine and physicist time per patient but also provides extensive Dosimetric information. It is worth noting that we are the second in India to adopt this technology. Additionally, we are the first in India to integrate Auto contour from RayStation, planning and RV from Monaco and Mosaiq, and PSQA through Portal dosimetry by Dosisoft. This advancement allows us to significantly reduce machine and patient waiting times post-simulation, as well as time for physicists and Radiation Safety Officers (RSOs) for each patient. 

This is not only with CIMS Bhopal, Karkinos Healthcare has implemented portal dosimetry with EpiBeam on the Elekta Harmony Pro linear accelerator at Udayananda Hospital at Nandyala, Andhra Pradesh. This facility is unique in offering advanced features like AI-enabled Auto Contour and EMR, allowing us to expedite cases with high quality. We are proud to share that this marks the first-of-its-kind implementation, in the South of India, using this technical combination to deliver high quality treatment. 

Also, at Karkinos’ Imphal facility, we are very excited to start our first radiation oncology services to patients in Imphal using Siddarth-II Linear accelerator mounted stereotactic and IGRT capable VMAT delivery system. We are also excited to launch a treatment plan with a combination of cloud applications, Ray station plan, AI contours, IBA dosimetry, and Panacea delivery system, which is considered to be first-of-its-kind in global cancer care. 

Karkinos Healthcare is leading the way in India by implementing an innovative AI-powered system for radiation oncology treatment planning. The Auto Contour uses deep learning technology to automate contouring tasks across various treatment stations. It is integrated with a cloud system, allowing for seamless access and use from the centres in Jalna and Kolkata. Additionally, Karkinos Healthcare prioritizes quality and safety by implementing standardized protocols (SOPs) and radiation safety measures across all our facilities. 

As we cross more milestones, at Karkinos Healthcare, we will strive to enhance cancer care by implementing the best technology to offer quality care in treating cancer while at the same time ensure that cancer awareness and prevention programmes are organised to see a world with a declining rate of the disease.