WHC | Amar Jain Best Hospital in Vaishali Nagar Jaipur, Rajasthan

Gastrointestinal Oncology

The Amar Jain hospital of Cancer Care (MICC) provides comprehensive and advanced services for the diagnosis, staging, treatment, and hospital-based care of various cancers, including breast, gynecological, and gastrointestinal cancers. A team of specialist multidisciplinary professionals, such as medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, histopathologists, molecular pathologists, gastroenterologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine specialists, dieticians, physiotherapists, and geneticists, create an individualized treatment plan for each patient.

The Disease Management Group (DMG) concept at MICC involves weekly meetings to discuss all patients diagnosed with DMG specific cancer, with specialists of the respective DMG along with pathologists, radiologists, and molecular oncologists. The DMG approach ensures that patients receive care from world-class specialists focused on specific cancer types.

The GI Disease Management Group at MICC offers a range of services, including primary assessment and diagnosis, specialist review, staging and investigation, cancer genetics, pre-operative counseling, site-specific surgical oncology, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy with newer techniques, surgery (including sphincter-sparing surgery and trans-endoscopic microsurgery), critical care, rehabilitation, palliative and supportive care, and clinical trials.

The GI DMG service is available for patients suffering from cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, large intestine (colon), rectum and anus, pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder, liver, small intestine, retroperitoneum, and neuroendocrine system.

What We Do

Amar Jain Hospital's GI cancer team comprises experts in medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, gastroenterology, radiology, pathology, molecular oncology, psychology, and physical therapy. They collaborate to provide comprehensive cancer care to patients. The team discusses disease management options with patients to help them select the best treatment. Molecular profiling of tumors and genetic testing to assess family members' risk are integral parts of the treatment plan. Post-operative specialized care is provided in dedicated oncosurgery ICUs and wards by expert intensivists, nurses, and physical therapists, which facilitates faster recovery.

Surgical Oncology unit

The GI and Hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) DMG's surgical unit specializes in all the necessary surgeries and minimally invasive procedures required for the treatment of GI cancers.

Radiation Oncology Unit

Radiation Therapy (RT) is a medical treatment that uses high-energy ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, to destroy cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The main objective of RT is to precisely target and kill cancer cells with minimal damage to normal, healthy cells. Unlike systemic treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation treatment is a local treatment that affects only the specific area of the body being treated. There are two types of radiation therapy: External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), which is delivered from a machine outside the body, and Brachytherapy, which involves placing a radioactive material close to the tumor or area with cancer cells.

The timing of radiation therapy can vary based on the individual patient's situation. Neoadjuvant or pre-operative radiation therapy may be used to shrink a tumor before surgery. Adjuvant or post-operative radiation therapy may be used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. Radiation therapy may also be used alone with curative intent, referred to as Radical RT. Intra-operative Radiation (IORT) is another technique where radiation is administered during surgery.

Medical Oncology Unit

The use of medications is essential in the treatment of cancer and can take many forms, including chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, and immunotherapy. Medical oncology employs these treatments in various scenarios, including as a concurrent partner to radiotherapy to increase its effectiveness. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is used to reduce the size of some inoperable tumors before definitive therapy (which could be chemoradiotherapy or surgery), making them operable. Adjuvant chemotherapy is administered after surgery to decrease the risk of recurrence. Palliative chemotherapy is used to control advanced cancers (i.e., those that have spread beyond their site of origin) or locally advanced tumors that are not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy.

What is EBRT?

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) is typically administered on an outpatient basis at a hospital. During treatment, a machine known as a Linear Accelerator (LA) directs high-energy rays towards the area of the body bearing the tumor. At Amar Jain Hospital, several models of Linear Accelerators are available, including TrueBeam STx, Novalis, and Clinax. Linear Accelerators can deliver radiation therapy using various techniques, such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRS), and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT).

What is IMRT?

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a radiation therapy technique that uses computer-based optimization processes to deliver high doses of radiation to the cancerous area while minimizing the radiation dose to surrounding normal tissues. The technique creates a gradient or dose fall-off between the cancerous tissue and the surrounding normal tissue, which effectively spares the normal organs. By reducing the side effects, IMRT allows for an increased cancer control probability.

What is IGRT?

The delivery of radiation therapy following the verification of the position of relevant structures by performing X-ray or CT-based imaging is known as image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). The imaging system is mounted on the linear accelerator itself. IGRT is technically a type of IMRT, and is therefore also known as IM-IGRT (intensity-modulated image-guided radiation therapy).

What is SBRT?

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) involves the use of stereotactic principles to precisely deliver intense doses of radiation therapy to cancerous/tumor areas. This technique is similar to Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) for the brain, except that SBRT is used for areas outside the brain. SBRT is also known as Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy (SABR), as it involves the delivery of higher doses of radiation over a shorter period of time. The treatment is generally delivered by combining IMRT and IGRT techniques. SBRT usually requires fewer treatment sessions than conventional IMRT or IGRT. Your radiation oncologist will explain all of these techniques and their relevance to your cancer treatment.

What is more important for successful radiation therapy- Machine or team behind machine?

The successful delivery of radiation therapy requires both advanced machines and a skilled team. Fortunately, at the Amar Jain hospital of Cancer Care (MICC), we have both of these critical components available across all Max Hospital locations. The TrueBeam STX is a cutting-edge radiotherapy system that provides powerful and precise cancer treatments by integrating advanced imaging and motion management technologies within a sophisticated new architecture. This system allows treatments to be delivered more quickly while monitoring and compensating for tumor motion. However, while technology is an important tool, it is the skilled doctors who are able to use it effectively.

Supportive Services

A Stoma Care Nurse is responsible for providing care and support to individuals who have undergone surgery that involves the formation of an opening, known as a stoma, on the front of their abdomen. This opening allows for the collection of faeces or urine in a pouch or bag outside of the body. The stoma may be temporary or permanent, depending on the patient's condition and the type of surgery performed.

Other important services provided at a cancer care facility include Onco-Psychology, which focuses on the emotional and psychological well-being of patients undergoing cancer treatment; Dietetics and Nutrition, which provides tailored nutrition plans to optimize the health of cancer patients; Onco-Cardiology, which specializes in managing cardiovascular issues that may arise during cancer treatment; Cancer Prevention advice and services, which help to identify and reduce the risk of cancer; Cancer Genetics, which identifies and manages genetic factors that may contribute to cancer; Molecular/Precision Oncology, which uses genetic testing to develop personalized cancer treatment plans; and Tobacco cessation services, which provide support and resources for individuals trying to quit smoking, a major risk factor for cancer.