Oncology is the branch of medicine that deals with conducting research and administering treatment for cancer.
Cancer treatment with radiation oncology is the use of ionizing radiation, which we call radiation, in the treatment of cancer. This form of treatment began to be used after the discovery of X-rays in 1895; in recent years it has seen real advances in cancer treatment along with the advancement of computer technology and the development of modern radiation therapy equipment. The basic principle of radiotherapy is to eradicate cancer cells or stop them from dividing and multiplying. Radiation treatment carries little risk with tremendous benefits when administered with advanced technology and equipment, appropriate guidance, and administration. The main goal of radiation therapy is to deliver high enough doses of radiation to kill the tumour while protecting surrounding healthy tissue as much as possible. Radiotherapy may be given alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy, according to pre- and postoperative protocols. Radiotherapy is necessary for the treatment of 70% of cancer cases.
TrueBeam™ STx
One of the factors that impact the success of radiation therapy is the type of equipment and technology that is used. Our centre uses the latest technology in the form of a linear accelerator called TrueBeam™ STx.
Cancer treatment with TrueBeam™ STx imaging allows for rapid delivery of the exact dose of radiation needed with near 100% targeting accuracy and maximum protection of surrounding tissue.
TrueBeam™ STx's synchronized mobile tracking makes a tremendous difference in the treatment of cancers in the lung, breast, prostate, and spine areas and is used in all cancers that require radiation treatment.
Another important feature is the device’s ability to accurately and precisely calculate the dose required to administer radiation treatment. The Acuros XB treatment planning software is being implemented for the first time in Turkey at Liv Hospital and provides a much more accurate and rapid dose calculation than other systems.
The advantages of TrueBeam™ STx:
- Reduces pre-treatment preparation time for patients using advanced technology.
- Significantly reduces treatment time with increased dose strength, precision, and speed.
- Radiation exposure of 30 - 90 minutes with other equipment can be completed in 5 - 20 minutes, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can be completed in two to three minutes instead of 10 - 20 minutes using traditional equipment and technology.
- Due to the short duration of the treatment, the problems that arise during tumour removal are minimal.
- With all these advantages, the tumour is subjected to targeted irradiation.
- The number of sessions is reduced.
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)/stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) are among the state-of-the-art radiation therapy options available from the same platform through this technology.
Radiotherapy techniques performed by TrueBeam™ STx:
Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT) is a treatment planning method using three-dimensional imaging that is applied after CT imaging and multi-slice outlining of tumour size and vital organs. This treatment technique aims to deliver high doses of radiation to the target from different angles while delivering the lowest possible doses to the surrounding normal tissue.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
In some cases, the tumour and healthy surrounding tissue may be very close together. In such cases, after obtaining three-dimensional images with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT), fine tuning and adjustment of the intensity of the beams produced by the linear accelerator is performed. Treatment techniques that use this principle are generally referred to as Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT). This technique means that while the desired high dose of radiation is sent to the tumour, the dose is precisely and immediately reduced in the surrounding tissue. This minimizes the effect on healthy tissue and keeps the radiation dose to areas of normal tissue to a minimum.
Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
This technique provides daily comparison of pre-treatment images with those obtained during the course of treatment in order to precisely identify and target the area to be irradiated in each session. The cross-sectional imaging that is performed during the patient's treatment intercepts repositioning errors and automatically corrects them as the radiation is delivered. In this way, high doses of radiation are precisely directed to the same target each day.
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT)
Radiosurgery is a radiation therapy technique that is used to treat tumours and certain types of vascular disorders. This method directs very high doses of concentrated ionized radiation using a focused irradiation technique. Radiation therapy that is used in the treatment of lesions in the brain is called stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS/SRT), while when used in the treatment of lesions on the body, it is called stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). The dose of radiation to which healthy tissue is exposed is reduced to a minimum during several sessions. If administered by qualified professionals in properly selected cases, this technique can achieve the same results as traditional surgery.
Rapidarc
It is a radiation technique known as Volumetric Modulated Rotational Therapy (VMAT) that provides image-guided intensity modulated radiation therapy. Imaging and treatment are performed in a very short time - about 4 minutes in total. This device moves around the patient, delivering a more sensitive and higher dose of radiation to the tumour while at the same time giving a high degree of protection to the surrounding tissue.
Electron beams
Electron beams are charged particles produced by a linear accelerator that are used for a variety of purposes. The energy level used in the clinic ranges from 6 - 18 MeV. The most important characteristic of electrons is the fact that the energy delivered within the tissue is dissipated within a certain distance. This characteristic makes this form of treatment suitable for superficial tumours (such as skin tumours), both alone and in conjunction with radiation methods.