Chennai, Sep 07: The 6th Annual Conference of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group Asia-Oceania was inaugurated in Chennai today by Patron Dr Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited.
Being hosted in India for the first time, the three-day conference has brought together leading radiation oncologists, medical physicists, researchers, radiobiologists, engineers and technology experts. The conference is providing a platform for global experts to exchange scientific knowledge, explore advances in proton and particle therapy and foster greater collaboration and innovation in cancer care.
Dr Rakesh Jalali, Organising Chairman, PTCOG-AO 2026 and Medical Director, Apollo Proton Cancer Centres, said:
“Asia-Oceania is emerging as one of the most important regions globally for the future development of particle therapy. The next phase, however, cannot be driven by technology alone. We need robust clinical evidence, collaborative research, appropriately trained professionals and models that allow these advances to reach many more patients.
Bringing PTCOG-AO to India for the first time provides an extraordinary opportunity to bring this community together and collectively shape a more evidence-driven, collaborative and accessible future for particle therapy.”
Participants from across Asia-Oceania, Europe and the United States, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Australia, are taking part in the conference.
Dr Srinivas Chilukuri, Scientific Chair and Organising Secretary, PTCOG-AO 2026, and Lead Consultant – Radiation Oncology, Apollo Proton Cancer Centres, said
“The real measure of progress in proton therapy is not simply how many centres or machines exist, but how effectively the technology improves patient outcomes and how widely that expertise can be shared.
At Apollo Proton Cancer Centres, we have now treated patients from 38 countries, including more than 1,000 children. The experience reinforces both the clinical potential of proton therapy and the responsibility we have to generate evidence, train teams and build collaborations so that more patients across our region can benefit from appropriate particle therapy.”
The conference was attended by Mr Harshad Reddy, Director – Operations, Group Oncology & International, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, and Mr Karan Puri, Chief Executive Officer, APCC & ASH.
The conference is being led by Dr Sapna Nangia, Organising Vice-Chairman; Dr Dayananda Sharma, Scientific Committee Chair (Physics/Biology); and Dr Ashu Abhishek, Co-Organising Secretary.
The conference underscores the growing importance of particle therapy in the evolving landscape of precision cancer treatment and provides an important forum for advancing clinical practice, research and technology through international collaboration.