The centers will offer latest technology for diagnosing and treating cancer, and will follow the same standards of care found at the world's top cancer hospitals delivered at affordable price points.

"At GE, we envision a day when cancer is no longer a deadly disease. Scaling up of affordable access to cancer care requires disruptive solutions and willing partners. We believe a partnership like this one presents a great opportunity to confront India's cancer challenge head on," stated Mr John Dineen, president and CEO, GE Healthcare.

He added, "Combining GE Healthcare's innovative technology platforms with CTSI's proven expertise in operating cancer centers affords a fantastic means to tackling cancer early in India."

The mortality rates in India are very high due to late cancer detection, access, and affordability to care.

"CTSI has built a proven healthcare delivery model tailored to making the highest quality cancer care accessible and affordable. When we launched our international operations, India was a natural place to start. It offers existing medical infrastructure, a pool of talented doctors and a population with the desire to embrace top-notch standards of care. Our partnership with GE accelerates realization of our goal to build out a network in India and ultimately apply our model in similar markets worldwide," added Mr Joe Nicholas, president and CEO, CTSI.

The partnership underscores four critical points to elevate the access, affordability and standard of cancer care in India.

First, modern management of oncology patients requires a multidisciplinary approach, meaning that delivering cancer care according to top world standards demands interplay between a team of personnel from a wide range of medical specialties.

Second, offering world-class cancer care requires adherence to well-defined, evidence-based medical protocols derived from the world's latest medical research.

Third, providing the latest therapeutic options for cancer requires expert use of cutting-edge imaging, treatment and digital record-keeping technologies.

Finally, reducing patient effort and spend through a comprehensive and transparent approach in a local, patient-friendly environment.

GE and CTSI will configure the network in a hub-and-spoke fashion, with all centers linked by a sophisticated IT network to a hub, and supported by a multi-national group of clinicians, and administrators.

The hub will be a centre of excellence with full diagnostic imaging and treatment capabilities while the spoke will have the ability to deliver a range of screening, staging and treatment options.

The centers will use globally proven clinical pathways and protocols to standardize the care for every patient. The first hub center, American Oncology Institute, CTSI's international brand, is already operational in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

The first spoke or remote centre is being set up in Andhra Pradesh.

The partners will provide a comprehensive oncology service line to interested healthcare providers in small and large cities to accelerate and expand the network across India.

The approach will take global standard cancer care closer to the patient and help optimize patient spend through the treatment cycle. Today, a patient from a small town or a rural area spends over 50% on travel and logistics for treatment.

The GE-CTSI partnership provides hospitals with cutting edge solutions that cover clinical and technical aspects necessary to offer cancer care to patients found at top hospitals throughout the United States and Europe, including clinical technology, medical physics services and a worldwide IT network.

"CTSI's centralized model features a comprehensive approach to care that combines evidence-based protocols and robust administrative support to promote consistent clinical decision-making and a patient-centric environment. In our experience, this leads to the best outcomes and service for patients," commented Mr Andrew Shogan, COO, CTSI.

"The partnership between GE and CTSI reflects our shared commitment to tackling cancer earlier and will offer Indian patients the same caliber of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic options found at any leading cancer center around the world but at affordable price points for patients in India. The Indian healthcare landscape is evolving rapidly. GE and our partners at CTSI are looking forward to being at the vanguard of this progress by setting up a complete oncology ecosystem," concluded Ms Terri Bresenham, President and CEO, GE Healthcare South Asia.

GE Healthcare has committed USD 1 billion towards accelerating research and development of advanced oncology solutions. GE Healthcare offers a wide portfolio for oncology and a strategy that combines cellular research, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, and information technology.

Cancer Treatment Services International (CTSI) is a provider of university-level, comprehensive treatment for cancer patients with a main focus on medical oncology and radiation oncology.

CTSI provides innovative and technologically-advanced treatment solutions through IT-based model that allows integration and centralization of core services. The company currently operates centers and has development projects in both domestic and international markets.