Lucknow: Thousands of cancer patients in UP who currently travel to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and even abroad for advanced radiation therapy will soon have access to the treatment closer to home, with the state’s first CyberKnife robotic radiotherapy system set to become operational at Kalyan Singh Super Speciality Cancer Institute (KSSSCI) within the next 10 days.The advanced technology is expected to reduce both the financial and logistical burden on patients and their families by making highly specialised cancer treatment available at a govt institution in the city.Doctors said the system can precisely target complex and difficult-to-treat tumours while minimising radiation exposure to healthy tissues, improving outcomes and reducing treatment-related complications.The announcement was made by the head of the department of radiation oncology, Prof Sharad Singh, ahead of the 37th UPAROICON 2026 conference to be held from Oct 31 to Nov 1.With the installation, KSSSCI will become the first govt institution in UP to offer CyberKnife treatment and will be among a handful of govt-run cancer centres in the country equipped with the technology.“CyberKnife brings world-class precision to cancer treatment. It can target tumours that were earlier considered difficult to treat or too risky for surgery, including selected cases of brain and lung cancer. This facility will not only serve patients from state but also those from neighbouring states and Nepal,” said Prof Singh.He said the procurement process began last year. The e-tender was floated in Jan 2025, the purchase order was finalised in March 2025 and the machine was inaugurated in Feb 2026. He said calibration, testing and trial runs of the machine, installed at a cost of around Rs 51 crore, have been completed.Medical superintendent Dr Varun Vijay explained that the technology enables doctors to deliver highly focused radiation doses to tumours with sub-millimetre accuracy, making it particularly useful for treating cancers located near critical organs and structures.KSSSCI dean Prof Pramod Kumar Gupta said the institute already treats nearly 150 cancer patients daily through its existing radiotherapy infrastructure. The CyberKnife system will complement the institute’s two linear accelerators and widen treatment options for patients requiring highly specialised radiation therapy.Once operational, it is expected to establish KSSSCI as a major referral centre for advanced stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy in northern India. As secretary to the conference, themed “Transforming Cancer Care: Integrating Technology, Precision & Patient-Centric Oncology”, he said it is expected to bring together around 300 cancer specialists from across the country to discuss emerging technologies, precision radiotherapy and advances in oncology care.
