India Hosts Asia-Oceania’s Particle Therapy Community as 500 Delegates from 25 Countries Gather in Chennai for PTCOG-AO 2026

India Hosts Asia-Oceania’s Particle Therapy Community as 500 Delegates from 25 Countries Gather in Chennai for PTCOG-AO 2026

PTCOG-AO 2026 to bring the Asia-Oceania particle therapy community together from September 4–6; Apollo Proton Cancer Centres to host the landmark meeting in Chennai

Chennai, 01 September 2026: More than 500 delegates from 25 countries will gather in Chennai this week for PTCOG-AO 2026 – the 6th Annual Conference of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group Asia-Oceania, marking the first time the prestigious regional particle therapy meeting is being held in India.

The three-day conference, from 4–6 September 2026 at Taj Fisherman’s Cove Resort & Spa, Chennai, will bring together cancer specialists including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, researchers, radiobiologists, engineers, technology leaders, and other specialists involved in advancing proton and particle therapy worldwide.

Hosted by Apollo Proton Cancer Centres, Chennai, PTCOG-AO 2026 is being organised around the theme “Empowering Access to Particle Therapy through Research, Education & Collaboration.” The conference will be formally inaugurated by Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Founder and Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group. One of the key highlights of PTCOG-AO 2026 will be the Dr Prathap C. Reddy Annual Apollo Proton Oration, instituted to recognise distinguished contributions to the advancement of particle therapy and cancer care. This year’s Oration will be delivered by Prof Marco Durante, Germany, President of PTCOG Global and one of the world’s leading experts in particle therapy and radiobiology.

The scale and international representation of this year’s meeting reflect the rapidly expanding interest in particle therapy across Asia-Oceania. Delegates and faculty from countries including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, Europe, the United States, and India will participate in the scientific programme.

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.”

From technology to clinical impact

Particle therapy, particularly proton therapy, enables radiation to be delivered with high precision while reducing unnecessary radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. This can be particularly valuable in children, young adults and patients with tumours situated close to critical organs, as well as in selected complex cancers where reducing radiation dose to normal tissues can have important long-term implications.

As particle therapy capacity expands across Asia-Oceania, the focus is increasingly extending beyond installation of technology to questions of patient selection, clinical outcomes, generation of evidence, treatment quality, workforce development, research collaboration and equitable access.

The PTCOG-AO 2026 scientific programme reflects this evolution. Sessions will cover clinical oncology, medical physics, radiobiology, treatment planning and delivery, technological innovation, quality assurance, facility development, clinical research and emerging directions in particle therapy. 

Internationally recognised leaders including Prof Marco Durante (Germany) and President of PTCOG global, Prof Eugen Hug (Austria), Prof Anita Mahajan (USA), Prof Tatsuya Ohno (Japan- President of PTCOG AO), Prof Jin Sung Kim (Korea), Prof Sung Yong Park (Singapore) and Dr Hsiao-ming Lu (China), together with leading experts from India and the wider Asia-Oceania region, are among those contributing to the meeting.

Chennai and India’s growing role in proton therapy

Hosting PTCOG-AO in India also reflects the country’s growing contribution to advanced radiation oncology and particle therapy.

Since the commencement of South Asia and the Middle East’s first proton therapy in Chennai in 2019, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai has treated more than 3,000 patients, including over 1,000 children, with patients travelling for treatment from 38 countries.

This international patient footprint has provided valuable experience across a broad spectrum of complex cancers while also creating opportunities for clinical research, education, multidisciplinary collaboration and specialist training.

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 Asia-Oceania region is home to more than half of the world’s population and accounts for a substantial proportion of the global cancer burden. With new particle therapy facilities being developed across the region, collaboration between established and emerging centres will be critical to ensuring that expansion is accompanied by high-quality clinical practice, research and education.

PTCOG-AO 2026 will therefore place particular emphasis on bringing together institutions at different stages of their particle therapy journey and creating opportunities for collaborative studies, shared learning and capacity building.

The conference is being led by Chief Patron Dr Prathap C Reddy; Patrons Dr Preetha Reddy and Mr Harshad Reddy; Organising Chairman Dr Rakesh Jalali; Organising Vice-Chairman Dr Sapna Nangia; Scientific Chair and Organising Secretary Dr Srinivas Chilukuri; Scientific Committee Chair – Physics/Biology Dr Dayananda Sharma; and Co-Organising Secretary Dr Ashu Abhishek.

About Apollo Proton Cancer Centres

Apollo Proton Cancer Centres represent Apollo’s commitment to bringing highly advanced precision radiation therapy to patients in India and internationally. The proton therapy programme in Chennai began in 2019 with the establishment of South Asia and the Middle East’s first Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy Centre. Since then, more than 3,000 patients, including over 1,000 children and patients from 38 countries, have received proton therapy. Beyond clinical care, Apollo Proton Cancer Centres are focused on developing the wider particle therapy ecosystem through clinical research, international collaborations, education, training and knowledge exchange, helping build expertise and evidence that can support the responsible growth of proton therapy across India and the Asia-Oceania region.

#PTCOGAO2026 | #ParticleTherapy | #ProtonTherapy | #WinningOverCancer

Media Contact

Apollo Proton Cancer Centre: Jayasankar Srinivasan @ 99404 24386 | Burson India: Kishore Saravanan @ 99804 16897