Coimbatore : A True Beam Hyper Arc facility for high precision, high speed radiotherapy and radio surgerywas installed at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH) here, claimed to be the first in the country, Sunday.

The Rs.30 crore state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator, the Varian true beam Hyper Arc was installed in Radiation Oncology department of Comprehensive Cancer Centre, in the presence of Adyar Cancer Institute Chairman Prof Dr V Shanta, whose name is synonymous with cancer care.

The new technology will set new benchmarks in radiation oncology and the hospital takes immense pride in dedicating the first ever HyperArc machine in India to the service of patients of this region, its chairman, Nalla G Palanisamy said.

The system automates and simplifies complex treatments (like stereotactic radio surgery) and reduces treatment time substantially and It sharply targets metastases and tumors and reduces side-effects and radiation exposure It offers greater efficiency with higher dosimetry and improved tumor coverage, he said.

As part of the launch, the 2nd edition of ABC of breast cancer, a continuous medical education, was held in which senior doctors from across the state participated and discussed about key topics in breast cancer management like Sentinel Lymph Node biopsies, advanced Imaging in Breast Cancer, Breast Reconstruction and Oncoplasty and changing Paradigms in Breast Cancer Radiotherapy.