On March 11, 2024, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi, has recently introduced the ZAP-X radiosurgery machine, the first of its kind in South Asia, which is capable of administering targeted radiation to effectively eliminate brain tumors within a span of just 30 minutes.

The machine administers concentrated radiation of high intensity exclusively to the brain tumor, ensuring the precision of less than a millimeter while preserving the integrity of the surrounding tissue.

Dr. Prathap Chandra Reddy, the Founder and Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group, expressed that “Apollo Hospitals has been at the forefront of healthcare for forty years, leading the way in providing exceptional care. The organization is committed to democratizing technology, ensuring that it is accessible to everyone, regardless of their background, and benefiting both local communities and the global population. By doing so, Apollo Hospitals aims to enhance the standards of brain tumor treatment and improve the overall quality of life. The introduction of ZAP-X further reinforces the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases, particularly cancer, by delivering superior outcomes”.

About ZAP-X Radiosurgery Machine

This revolutionary technology revolutionizes precision while minimizing radiation exposure, setting new benchmarks in effectiveness and patient comfort. Unlike conventional methods, ZAP-X employs a self-shielded, gyroscopic linear accelerator design to deliver radiosurgical beams from numerous angles, precisely targeting the intended tumor or target with radiation. Additionally, ZAP-X replaces traditional brain surgeries, which typically last 3-4 hours, with a single-session treatment lasting no more than 30 minutes. 

This allows for outpatient procedures and enables patients to return home after treatment, unlike traditional surgeries that require extended hospital stays and anesthesia. ZAP-X has demonstrated remarkable success, ensuring effective control and relief for various conditions with minimal side effects. It has achieved a control rate of over 95% in 10 years and an exceptional 99.4% control rate in 5 years for small, well-defined tumors. These proven clinical capabilities empower neurologists and neurosurgeons to treat a wide range of conditions with enhanced precision and reduced side effects.

Benefits of ZAP-X 

• Improved Accuracy: ZAP-X ensures enhanced precision by precisely targeting the affected area, eliminating the need for exposing the entire region, as typically required in traditional methods such as craniotomy.
• Minimized Invasiveness: ZAP-X provides a non-invasive treatment option by delivering highly focused radiation directly to the lesion, eliminating the need for opening the skull as in traditional surgical approaches.
• Reduced Treatment Time: Unlike traditional brain surgeries that can last for 3-4 hours, ZAP-X significantly shortens the treatment duration to a single session lasting no more than 30 minutes.
• Convenient Outpatient Procedure: With ZAP-X, patients can undergo a daycare procedure and return home post-treatment, unlike traditional surgeries that often require 4-7 days or more of hospitalization. Additionally, ZAP-X eliminates the necessity of anesthesia.

ZAP-X is not suitable for treating all types of tumors. It is not recommended for large tumors or tumors that have spread to other parts of the body. However, it is specifically designed for patients with well-defined tumors that are smaller than 3X3X3 cm. For larger tumors, the treatment options are limited to the maximum radiation doses that can be administered without causing harm. This treatment is particularly beneficial for patients with tumors located deep within the brain, near critical structures, or those that are incidentally discovered during scans for unrelated health concerns.

ZAP-X is capable of treating not only tumors but also deep lesions in the brain or arteriovenous malformations, which are abnormal connections between oxygenated blood-carrying arteries and deoxygenated blood-carrying veins in the brain or spine.