Radiation therapy abroad

Both methods involve remote irradiation of the problem area. The differences relate to the intensity of the impact. Radiation therapy is carried out in a course of several sessions, which are performed with a certain frequency. The duration of the course is from 1 to 7 weeks. The method of radiosurgery involves the rapid destruction of the tumor in one session.

In both cases, specialized installations – linear accelerators – are used for irradiation. For the needs of radiosurgery, linear accelerators have built-in collimators that make it possible to irradiate small targets of complex shape, including those located near radiosensitive intracranial structures.

The main criterion for choosing the most appropriate intensity of exposure is the size of the cancer node. With the radiosurgery method, relatively small tumors can be removed at one time. The size limit is introduced due to the fact that the destruction of tissues is accompanied by the release of toxins into the blood and lymph, which are utilized with the participation of the kidneys and liver. Volumetric malignant neoplasms are best removed in several sessions. This allows the body to cope with intoxication without overloading the vital organs.

Each type of radiation therapy has a number of features that determine the range of indications and contraindications for their use in oncology. For example, for the treatment of malignant neoplasms, gamma therapy and X-ray irradiation are most often used due to their ability to penetrate tissues to a given depth and have a predictable dose-dependent effect on the tumor.

Gamma Knife

One of the areas of gamma therapy is the gamma knife. The method involves the use of sources of high-intensity gamma radiation, capable of creating significant doses of radiation in deeply located tumors and thus destroying the entire cancerous node. A gamma knife is used to remove tumors of any size and location, including the treatment of brain cancer.

Cyberknife

CyberKnife is a radiosurgical system that uses x-rays and gamma radiation. The system monitors the localization of the tumor in real-time, which shifts during breathing or muscle contraction. Tumors of the lungs, intestines, and prostate can serve as an example. This increases the accuracy of the impact on the cancerous tumor and contributes to the preservation of the viability of the surrounding healthy tissues. The size and depth of the tumor is not a limitation for the use of Cyberknife.

TRUEBEAM LINEAR ACCELERATOR

The TrueBeam linear accelerator has taken radiation therapy to a whole new level. The device combines the advantages of all modern linear accelerators and significantly exceeds them in terms of characteristics and capabilities:

• ultra-precise focusing and beam adjustment, which allows to influence only the tumor body (setting accuracy of about 0.05 mm);
• reduction in the number of sessions for the complete destruction of the tumor (3-5 sessions instead of 20-35 sessions);
• reducing the time of one session to 5-20 minutes;
• improved visual control and the ability to correct the position of the patient without interrupting the procedure;
• automatic adjustment of the beam, adjusted for body movements during inhalation and exhalation;
• reduction and complete exclusion of irradiation of healthy tissues.
  The human factor during radiation therapy using the Trubeam linear accelerator is minimized: the computer independently analyzes the data obtained during the diagnostics and adjusts the emitters in accordance with them. During the procedure, the unit controls the accuracy and power of the radiation with an interval of several milliseconds. This allows radiation or removal of the tumor with minimal consequences for the body.

Neutron therapy

Exposure to neutron radiation is effective in patients with radioresistant tumors that are resistant to ionizing radiation. Some forms of brain cancer, salivary gland tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, and most recurrent and metastatic malignancies are often radioresistant.

Proton therapy

The use of protons accelerated to high energies in synchrophasotrons for the treatment of oncological diseases is a promising direction in medicine. With this treatment method:

• There is no radiation exposure to the body.
• The maximum impact is focused on the pathological focus, the load on the surrounding tissues is minimal.
• 
• The radiation does not scatter in the human body, which reduces the risk of complications from radiation therapy to zero.
• It is possible to irradiate small tumor nodes.
• It is possible to irradiate tumors located close to critical radiosensitive structures of the human body (red bone marrow, brain, gonads, gastrointestinal tract, etc.) without harm to surrounding tissues.

Proton therapy is prescribed for the treatment of all types of benign and malignant neoplasms. But first of all, the use of the method is advisable in the detection of radioresistant tumors and, if necessary, the second course of radiation therapy, when the patient has already received the maximum possible dose of radiation, but complete removal of the tumor has not been achieved.

It’s no secret that the appearance of medical equipment decommissioned abroad is a real technological breakthrough for the hospital. However, the results of treatment with such equipment do not always meet the expectations of cancer patients.

Experts Medical recommend considering medical centers in Turkey. For example, clinic Acibadem has the most modern equipment with is very important in radiotherapy. The cost of radiotherapy in Turkey is approximately the same as in the CIS countries. At the same time, Turkish clinics update equipment every 5 years, and a variety of complex devices for radiotherapy and radiosurgery allows you to accurately select the device for a specific type of tumor.