ZAP-X for Brain Surgery in India: Apollo Hospital Unveils South Asia’s First Non-Invasive Treatment for Brain Tumors

29 May,2024

• Can you imagine brain tumors can be treated in just a 30-minute session? No right? With ZAP-X, this can be true for certain small brain tumors. Apollo Hospital Group announced its partnership with ZAP Surgical Systems in 2022. It launched the innovative gyroscopic radiosurgery platform for public use at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, in early March this year. It is the first time ZAP-X is made available in South Asia.
• ZAP-X Gyroscopic Radiosurgery is the latest edition in treating benign and malignant brain tumors with unmatched precision. It uses a self-shielded, gyroscopic linear accelerator design to deliver pinpoint radiation to the tumors in the head. 
• With ZAP-X, vestibular schwannoma patients can achieve over 95% control rate in 10 years with minimal facial or trigeminal side effects. Patients diagnosed with meningioma (the most common primary brain tumor) show an exceptional 99.4% control rate in 5 years for small, defined tumors. 
• Aside from tumors, ZAP-X can also treat trigeminal neuralgia, a painful condition affecting the trigeminal nerve. It provides complete pain relief in 70% of patients, maintaining relief rates of 40-55% at three years and 25% at ten years.
• ZAP-X offers several benefits over traditional brain surgeries. These include – 
  • Enhanced Precision: ZAP-X offers enhanced precision by accurately targeting the affected area. It eliminates the need to expose the entire region as required in traditional methods like craniotomy.
  • Non-invasive: This non-invasive treatment delivers highly focused radiation directly to the lesion, avoiding opening the skull as in traditional surgical approaches.
  • Short Treatment Duration: ZAP-X significantly reduces the treatment duration, completing the procedure within a session lasting no more than 30 minutes. Traditional brain surgeries can take 3-4 hours or even more to complete.
  • Daycare Procedure: Patients receive ZAP-X treatment as a daycare procedure and can return home post-treatment, unlike traditional surgeries, which may require 4-7 days or more of hospitalization and anesthesia.
• Dr. John R. Adler, founder of the ZAP-X® Gyroscopic Radiosurgery® platform, said, “ZAP-X would lower the average length of stay and allow for daycare procedures, enabling patients to return home post-treatment, unlike in traditional surgeries, which require at least four to seven days of hospitalization. The lesser amount of time required for the procedure would also allow hospitals to treat 3,000 patients per year, which is significantly higher than the turnout for general brain surgeries.”
• ZAP-X will serve as a pain-free alternative to brain surgeries. The platform can treat pituitary adenomas, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), acoustic neuromas, and movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
• At the launch event of ZAP-X, Dr Prathap C. Reddy (chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group) said, “We have unveiled ZAP-X, an innovative technology specially designed for the treatment of brain tumors. This new approach allows for pain-free, non-invasive sessions lasting 30 minutes, with minimal exposure to radiation. ZAP-X also comes with advanced safety protocols, including reduced radiation leakage and instant error detection, that ensure the patient’s well-being and quality of life post-treatment. Furthermore, as an outpatient procedure, it allows for greater accessibility and convenience for patients. We commit to ensuring that this technology is made available for every citizen of our country and for people across geographies, as this will be a boon for how brain tumors are approached and treated.”
• The cost of brain tumor treatment with ZAP-X starts from INR 4,90,000. International patients can expect the price of ZAP-X to be around USD 6,000. 
• The first patient treated with ZAP-X in India was a 66-year-old male who had a metastatic tumor in the pineal gland. It is challenging to remove pineal tumors with open surgery as they are located within the center of the brain. Since ZAP-X is a non-invasive treatment, it was perfect for this patient.
• Overall, ZAP-X represents a promising new technology for treating brain tumors and other neurological conditions with greater precision, less invasiveness, and faster recovery times compared to traditional brain surgery.

Unmatched brain tumor care is closer than you think. Learn how ZAP-X at Apollo Hospitals in India can save you time and money. Please fill out our form to connect with our medical experts and get a free quote!