Advanced radiotherapy techniques in cancer treatment

Radiation oncology is the medical specialty in which high-energy X-rays or charge particles are used to kill cancer cells, so that their growth, proliferation and spread are inhibited. It is estimated that one in two cancer patients needs radiation therapy, while 40% of cures are due to radiation therapy. At the same time, the fact that approximately 33,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed annually in Greece is extremely worrying.

Radiation therapy can treat most forms of cancer and has made a significant contribution to patient survival rates. It can be combined with surgery, chemotherapy or targeted therapies to bring about disease control or symptom relief. Currently, with further technological advances and improvement to equipment, the therapeutic radiation is concentrated in the tumor while less radiation is deposited in the surrounding healthy tissues.

The TomoTherapy machine integrates diagnostic imaging and radiation delivery into one procedure and one machine, leading to a much higher level of treatment precision. It has broad applications in the treatment of many cancers, including prostate, breast, lung, brain, head and neck, bone and soft tissue cancers, as well as lymphomas and multiple myeloma. It may open up new treatment options for patients who have reached the maximum tolerated dose with classical radiation methods, or who have tumors in hard-to-reach areas. The specific machine is similar to a CT scanner in that the patient lays on a table that passes through a large rotating ring. But the machine's rotating ring houses a new kind of linear accelerator, which receives diagnostic images and delivers radiation.

With a leading treatment team, careful planning and state-of-the-art technology, radiation oncologists can provide cancer patients with the most effective treatment available anywhere.

Comprehensive radiation therapy services for the treatment of various cancers and certain benign conditions include:
• Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
• Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)
• Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)
• Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)