Radiation Oncology Department ElixirMed Hospitals., aims destruction tumors by ionizing radiations. It cooperates closely with surgical disciplines and medical oncology. The best treatment option is jointly decided by relevant disciplines, and radiotherapy is a part of treatment in approximately 80% of patients with documented cancer.
Radiotherapy is delivered by high-tech devices using specially molded restraint tools. Radiation sources include high-energy X-rays, gamma rays, neutrons and protons. In technical terms, radiotherapy modalities divide into three types; external radiotherapy, brachytherapy and radiosurgery.
The patient is placed on a flat treatment table and the radiation beams are targeted to the tumor zone. It can be used for the treatment of tumors that are located at any part of the body. The patient feels no pain, ache or heat during the treatment. Treatments are performed in sessions – one session lasting approximately 15 minutes per day. Radiation oncologist decides the number of sessions for the treatment. Potential side effects of the treatment varies depending on the target zone. However, it is usually well tolerated.
Brachytherapy is an irradiation technique, wherein radioactive sources are placed in body spaces or between tissues (temporarily). It is applied alone or before or after the external therapy and high doses are delivered to a local region. While the tumor is better controlled, the risk of damaging the healthy tissue is minimized, as minimal dose is delivered to the sensitive tissue around the tumor. Brachytherapy is commonly used for cervical and endometrial cancers.
Radiotherapy is among the modern techniques in the field of radiation oncology; the aim is to totally destruct a tumor that is smaller than a certain size by delivery very high doses in one or more than one session. Various devices can fulfill this function. The doctor decides whether the patient is a good candidate for this treatment or not.