Quality cancer care for patients in Asia and above

According to an article published in BMC Medicine, Asia accounts for 60 percent of the world population and half the global burden of cancer. “The incidence of cancer cases is estimated to increase from 6.1 million in 2008 to 10.6 million in 2030, due to ageing and growing populations, lifestyle and socioeconomic changes,” first author of the article, Rengaswamy Sankaranarayanan wrote.

The increasing relevance of quality cancer care

More than half of all cancer cases and deaths worldwide are potentially preventable, estimates the American Cancer Society in its 2011 publication, ‘Global Cancer Facts and Figures, 2nd Edition’. With this in mind, excellence in cancer care is more relevant than ever, especially with the increasing incidence of cancer in Asia and beyond.

To meet this demand, Sunway Medical Centre in Malaysia has invested heavily in making its Cancer & Radiosurgery Centre one among its 23 Centres of Excellence. “Our approach combines the latest in cancer treatment technology and most importantly, we’ve assembled an extraordinary team of doctors, nurses, radiation therapists, and medical physicists who stay on the leading edge of cancer treatment,” says Dr Heng Siew Ping, Manager and Chief Medical Physicist at Sunway Medical Centre.

The need for a multidisciplinary team

Highlighting the multi-disciplinary nature of the team at SunMed, she adds, “Treating cancer patients with radiation brings to the table the expertise of several professionals, including clinical oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists and nurses. Medical physicists are both scientists and healthcare professionals that use radiobiology, anatomy, cancer biology and engineering in their daily work to ensure that cancer patients receive a correctly calculated dose of radiation.”

At SunMed’s Cancer and Radiosurgery Centre, an entire team is put behind each patient. “One way we find the best cancer treatment plan is through tumour boards, in which our doctors have a meeting to discuss and exchange ideas and to explore every treatment option available,” says Dr Heng.

Besides its focus on quality people, investment in new technology includes the latest TrueBeam Stx system – “a highly precise and non-invasive way of excising tumours using high energy X-ray beams.”

Treatment at Sunway Medical Centre

Treatment at SunMed’s Cancer and Radiosurgery Centre includes consultations with doctors so that the medical team can come up with an individualised treatment plan for each patient.

“A treatment plan describes how the radiation dose is delivered to the patient,” says Dr Heng. “The goal is to design a plan that delivers sufficient dose to the tumor but also minimises the dose to the surrounding normal organs. This process takes between 20 minutes to a few days for each patient.”

The medical physicist is required to perform patient-specific quality assurance prior to the delivery of radiation therapy because “radiation is a powerful but potentially dangerous treatment”.

“Once delivered and absorbed by the human body, its effects are irreversible,” says Dr Heng. “Hence, if patient dose verification is not done with a high level of accuracy and precision, it could lead to adverse effects or under-dosage.”

Material provided by Sunway Medical Centre. Sunway Medical Centre is a private hospital based in Kuala Lumpur. It is accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) and operates 23 Centres of Excellence that offer specialist care for multiple conditions including cancer, cardiovascular problems and diabetes.

Sunway Medical Centre
No. 5 Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603-7491 9191 / 5566 9191
sunwaymedical.com

Cancer & Radiosurgery Centre
LG floor, Tower C
​Tel: +603-7491 1394