Cancer patients in north Bengal will now have access to advanced TrueBeam radiotherapy technology, reducing the need to travel to metropolitan cities for specialised treatment and enabling faster access to therapy for critical cases.

The state-of-the-art radiation therapy system was launched on Saturday at the comprehensive cancer care centre of Manipal Hospital in Rangapani. Doctors described it as a major step towards strengthening cancer care infrastructure in north Bengal and adjoining regions.

Doctors said the TrueBeam system is designed to deliver highly targeted radiation with greater precision while minimising exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. The technology is expected to benefit patients with complex cancers, including tumours that shift during breathing or other body movements.

Patients from Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar, and from neighbouring states and parts of the Northeast, had to travel to Calcutta, Chennai or Delhi for advanced radiotherapy treatment.

These journeys often led to delays in treatment, additional financial strain and physical hardship for patients already weakened by illness.

“Cancer cases have been steadily rising across north Bengal and neighbouring regions over the past few years. A large number of patients had to travel outside the region for advanced radiation therapy. The introduction of TrueBeam technology here will help make precision-led cancer treatment available much closer to home,” said Swapnendu Basu, a senior consultant and advisor in radiation oncology.

Basu added that the technology supports advanced treatment procedures such as image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

“These techniques allow doctors to deliver higher doses of radiation more accurately to tumours while reducing side effects and shortening treatment duration. It improves patient comfort because treatment sessions are faster and side effects are reduced,” he said.

Medical experts said the machine’s real-time imaging and motion-management capabilities would improve treatment accuracy for lung, breast, head-and-neck and gastrointestinal cancers, which are among the most common cancer cases reported in the region.

Hospital authorities said the launch aimed to bridge the gap in access to advanced oncology care in eastern India.

“North Bengal is developing as a stronger regional hub for advanced cancer treatment, sparing many patients the hardship of travelling long distances in search of specialised care,” said a doctor based in Siliguri.