New Cancer Treatment with Millimeter Precision Available for
Patients at SingHealth Institutions
Novalis radiosurgery system offers faster treatment with possibly shorter hospital stay
Singapore, June 2007 – Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), the largest healthcare group in Singapore, is expanding its modern cancer treatment facilities. With Novalisâ Shaped Beam Surgery, an integrated radiotherapy/radiosurgery system by the German medical technology company BrainLAB AG, tumors of brain and body as well as other lesions can be treated with high precision, reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The system forms part of the world’s first state- of-the-art digitally-integrated neuroscience centre located at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) – a project announced in October 2006.
Funded largely by a generous donation from the Estate of the late Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat, the facility will be named Khoo Teck Puat Neuro Navigation Integrated Operating Suites (KTP-NNI-OS). As part of the KTP-NNI-OS, the Novalis system will enhance the combination of different treatment options such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy available to patients at the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), National Cancer Centre (NCCS) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) - all members of the SingHealth group of healthcare institutions.
Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery is an integrated stereotactic treatment system that shapes beams of focused high-energy radiation from different angles to deliver precise treatments that are designed to shrink or control the growth of a tumor, by killing cancer cells or interfering with their ability to grow. With Novalis, tumors of the brain and other parts of the body such as the head and neck, spine, lung, liver and prostate can be treated with millimeter precision while harm to surrounding tissue is significantly reduced. The precision of the beams allows for the administration of higher radiation doses. Thereby, the number of treatments can be reduced and the clinical results can be improved. Patients who undergo this treatment will benefit from frameless therapy, often allowing them to return home the same day. The procedure lasts 15 minutes on average. Due to faster treatment times, it is anticipated that more patients can be treated with this system.
Novalis will form part of the “Intelligent Treatment Framework” by BrainLAB, which will integrate proven individual technologies in a unique framework within SGH. For the first time, a comprehensive range of the latest BrainLAB technologies in healthcare will be available in one location, digitally integrated to provide clinicians with effective access and intelligent management of digital medical information. From diagnostics through treatment, this new infrastructure will provide clinicians with timely information and more treatment options, resulting in better-informed medical decisions, and the ability to seamlessly combine multiple treatment options. The five-suite facility at SGH will set a new standard for the comprehensive approach to cancer care as well as neurosurgery, otolaryngology (ear, nose & throat) and orthopedic surgery in terms of clinical results and overall cost effectiveness.
“The addition of Novalis will allow us to treat many more patients with stereotactic radiosurgery. It can be used to treat tumors that are inoperable or in instances where open surgery offers too high a risk. The shaped beam technology helps to achieve maximum tumour cell death with minimal side effects, and healthy tissue surrounding the tumor is prevented from damage to a very large extent” explained Associate Professor Ivan Ng, Head and Senior Consultant, Departments of Neurosurgery at SGH & NNI.
We at NCCS are constantly on the look out to ensure that our patients are given the best available treatment for their illness. This facility is one of the suite of services that we are able to offer our patients in our holistic approach towards cancer treatment.” explained Dr. Chua Eu Tiong, Deputy Head & Senior Consultant at NCCS’ department of Radiation Oncology. “The dedicated facility brings together multidisciplinary specialists including radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists to optimise treatment outcomes for the patients.”
According to the Ministry of Health Singapore, cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore that accounts for almost 30% of all deaths, with close to 8,000 Singapore residents being diagnosed with cancer each year.
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About Singapore Health Services Pte Ltd (SingHealth)
SingHealth is the largest healthcare group in Singapore, offering a complete range of multi-disciplinary and integrated medical care. The group consists of 3 Hospitals, 5 National Specialty Centres, and a network of 9 primary healthcare clinics. We have a faculty of internationally qualified medical specialists and are also well equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment medical technology. We are dedicated to providing quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to our patients. Through clinical excellence, commitment, and collaboration, we aim to be the trusted leader in healthcare for our patients, partners, staff and the community.
For more information, visit SingHealth at www.singhealth.com.sg
About Singapore General Hospital (SGH)
The Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is the largest acute tertiary hospital and national referral centre in Singapore. With 1,500 acute beds and a pool of 550 specialists, the hospital treats about 70,000 inpatients and 600,000 outpatients yearly. Together with five national specialty centres located within the SGH campus, patients have ready access to 35 specialty services. SGH is also a centre of medical education and research for innovative treatments, capitalising on its multi-disciplinary capabilities and research affiliations to augment care delivery to patients.
For more information, visit SGH at www.sgh.com.sg
About National Neuroscience Institute (NNI)
The National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) is the leading regional specialist centre for cutting edge treatment, education and research in the neurosciences. It offers over 20 clinical subspecialties and treats a broad range of illnesses affecting the brain, spine, nerve and muscle. The NNI sees the most number of neurological cases in Singapore, providing clinical services to Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Changi General Hospital.
For more information, visit NNI at www.nni.com.sg
About National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS)
The National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) is a national and regional centre directed at the prevention and treatment of different cancers. Structurally and operationally designed to provide integrated and holistic patient-centred clinical services, it allows cross-consultation among cancer experts of different specialties. Patients can, therefore, enjoy personalised, prompt and customised cancer treatment recommended by a team of radiation, surgical and medical oncologists (cancer experts) during the same visit.
As a one-stop specialist centre housing Singapore's largest pool of oncologists, it has state of the art equipment and employs the latest therapies including mini transplants and targeted therapies, which maximise outcomes and minimise undesirable side effects. NCCS also conducts clinical and basic research as well as public cancer education programmes wholly directed at the prevention and treatment of cancer.
For more information, visit NCCS at www.nccs.com.sg
About BrainLAB
BrainLAB develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology that enables procedures that are more precise, less invasive, and therefore less expensive than traditional treatments. Among the core products are image-guided systems that provide highly accurate real-time information used for navigation during surgical procedures. This utility has been further expanded to serve as a computer terminal for physicians to more effectively access and interpret diagnostic scans and other digital medical information for better informed decisions. BrainLAB solutions allow expansion from a single system to operating suites to digitally integrated hospitals covering all subspecialties from neurosurgery, orthopedics, ENT, CMF to spine & trauma and oncology. With more than 2,650 systems installed in over 65 countries, BrainLAB is a market leader in image-guided technology. The privately held BrainLAB group, founded in 1989, is headquartered in Munich, Germany and today employs around 950 people in 15 offices across Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America.
For more information, visit BrainLAB at www.brainlab.com.
® Registered trademark of BrainLAB AG in Germany and/or the US
™ trademark registration for BrainLAB pending in Germany and/or the US