Radiotherapy treatment is a treatment method that aims to eliminate tumor cells by irradiating the diseased area with radiation therapy devices. Treatments are done in daily sessions and continue over a period of several days to weeks. The radiation oncologist decides on the duration and type of treatment.
Radiotherapy treatment (radiation therapy - radiation therapy) is applied alone or in combination with surgery/chemotherapy in cancer disease. Success rates increase when radiotherapy is planned and applied by a radiation oncology doctor with the support of computerized planning. Therefore, the cooperation of technology and treatment team is important in radiotherapy treatment.
Radiotherapy treatment is a treatment method used in approximately half of cancer patients today. Radiotherapy treatment using 3D conformal radiotherapy planning and IMRT applications is effective in the treatment of cancer.
ONCOLOGY SERVICES
Radiotherapy Treatment
Contribution of technological innovations to radiotherapy:
Radiotherapy treatment is constantly updated in line with technological developments. With the applications under the supervision of a radiation oncologist, tumor areas can be treated without damaging the surrounding organs through treatment planning systems (TPS). The human factor and technological developments help the treatment of patients in coordination.
As a result of a detailed examination of the diseased area with computerized scanning method before treatment, a distinction can be made between the diseased area and the normal area. In this way, radiation therapy can be applied only to the tumor area and side effects can be reduced.
A Individual and Customized Treatment for Each Patient:
A patient-specific treatment plan emerges with the evaluation to be made as a result of the reports and films examined by your doctor. This detailed treatment plan prepared by the radiotherapy team provides gains in the treatment of the disease with the treatment applications controlled every day.
In our clinic, computerized planning support is used in treatment applications. Treatment planning and implementation are carried out as a team with radiation oncologists, radiation physicists and radiotherapy technicians.
PET/CT
PET (Positron Emission Tomography) is a functional imaging method that provides the necessary physiological information for clinical diagnosis based on changes in tissue metabolism. The most important advantage of PET is the use of positron emitting biological radioisotopes that mimic natural components found in the body. (such as Carbon-11, Oxygen-15, Nitrogen-13, Fluor-18)
PET shows the distribution in all organs of a specific radiopharmaceutical-labeled follower molecule (usually F-18-FDG, a sugar component) administered to the body. Radioactive tracers are concentrated in areas that use it the most, around tumors. During the glucose metabolism period, F-18 is broken down, emitting positrons that are detected by the PET unit. At the same time, the annular CT unit produces high-resolution 3D X-ray images of the part of the body being examined. The result is a combined 'anatomo-molecular' image showing the location, size, metabolism and spread of tumors. Anatomical detail and functional information is obtained in a single image.
Although PET-CT is most commonly used in oncology, it also enables early diagnosis in neurological diseases (dementia, epilepsy, alzheimer's, etc.) and cardiology. PET - CT, lung cancer, mesothelioma, lymphoma, melanoma, head - neck, small intestine, large intestine-colorectal, esophageal cancers, breast, thyroid and other endocrine tumors, pancreas, liver, kidney, bladder, ureter, testis, penis and It is used in other male genital, gynecological, brain, musculoskeletal system tumors.
Use Areas
- To determine the extent of the disease before treatment (staging),
- Detection of real tumor tissue in patients who will receive radiotherapy (radiation therapy), treatment planning, irradiation of the right area at the right dose,
- Evaluation of response to treatment (investigation of tumor response after chemotherapy or radiotherapy),
- In the evaluation of the effectiveness (chemosensitivity) of the chemotherapy applied,
- Post-treatment staging and evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment
- In the restaging of patients with relapse,
- It is used to investigate the primary focus in cancers with metastases but no tumor focus.
- The patient should rest the day before the shooting and should not do work that requires physical activity.
- Sweet foods and drinks (fruit, fruit juices) should not be consumed. A minimum of 6 hours of fasting is required before the examination. The patient should not feel cold, especially during the winter months.
- After the preliminary preparations on the examination day, the patient's blood sugar is checked.
- The FDG molecule (radioactive substance) labeled with Fluorine-18, which is a sugar derivative and emits positron radiation, is administered intravenously to the patient.
- It is waited between 40-60 minutes for the given drug to fully spread in the body. During the waiting period, the patient should rest, not move and should not talk unless it is very necessary.
- After the waiting period is completed, the patient is taken to the shooting room.
- Both computed tomography and PET images are obtained in three dimensions in the same session within a total of 12-20 minutes.
Considerations
Radiation Oncology
Radiation Oncology; It means the treatment of cancerous tissue with radiation. Radiotherapy treatment aims to eliminate tumor cells by irradiating the diseased area with advanced technological treatment devices.
Treatments are done in daily sessions and can last from a few days to several weeks.
Radiotherapy is a team effort. In the Agartamed Radiation Oncology consultancy services Department, the treatment prepared and planned by an experienced team consisting of a Radiation Oncology specialist, radiophysicist, radiotherapy technicians and dosimetrists is applied. To decide at what dose and for how long to irradiate the tumor tissue, to follow up the early and long-term side effects that may occur during radiotherapy.
It is the responsibility of the oncology specialist. Other members of the team are responsible for the regular implementation of the planned treatment on the patient every day and for the follow-up of the patient.
Radiotherapy treatment is a successful treatment method that is used successfully in a significant part of cancer patients today.
Radiotherapy treatment using advanced radiotherapy techniques, 3D radiotherapy planning, IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy) applications is effective in the treatment of cancer.
IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy) in Head, Neck and Brain Tumors
Head and neck tumors are usually treated surgically if they can be diagnosed at an early stage. If the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes and there are other high risk factors, radiotherapy is also used in the postoperative period. IMRT is a major factor in the success of this treatment.
Radiotherapy is used alone in some cases, but often in combination with chemotherapy.
Diseases in which IMRT is used
- Early stage vocal cord tumors
- Head and neck tumors
- Brain tumors
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Eesophageal cancer
Elekta Versa HD
With the fully equipped Elekta Versa HD, a new generation radiotherapy device, in our hospital's Radiation Oncology Clinic, targeted treatment is offered in a shorter time without sacrificing quality
- High resolution dynamic radiosurgery
- High protection in healthy tissue with ABC Respiratory Control System
- Reliability, accuracy and reliability in SRS and SBRT treatments
- Shorter treatment time with advanced equipment
- Superior plan quality with Gold Standard
- Precise patient positioning with the HexaPOD 6-dimensional table
- Target validation with CBCT
- Advanced 4D image guide with Symmetry
- Elekta Versa HD is an advanced technology that offers various radiotherapy options such as 3D Conformal, IMRT, IGRT, VMAT, SRS/SBRT on the same platform.
Thanks to the ABC (Active Breathing Coordinator) system, it can irradiate only in a certain sequence of respiration. Thus, especially in left breast tumors, the heart dose can be reduced by providing greater removal of the heart from the beam area, or in early stage lung tumors or metastases, irradiation can be made from much smaller areas during the point shot. Thus, the surrounding normal tissues are better protected.
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