The Oncology Radiotherapy Center at Wattanosoth Hospital provides comprehensive cancer care services by a specialized team of knowledgeable and experienced oncologists, nurses, and radiation therapists. Service is provided with the needs and expectations of patient and family members in mind to achieve successful cancer care. The center is well equipped with radiation oncology equipment and personnel, and is considered one of the best radiotherapy services in Thailand.
Radiation therapy (also known as radiotherapy or radiation oncology) involves the use of radiation and imaging modalities to treat cancer or malignant tumors. Most common cancer types can be treated with radiotherapy.
A combination of therapies is often the best way to combat cancer, and at Bangkok Hospitals multiple traditional and breakthrough treatments are often applied. Integrative treatments of radiation therapists, surgeons, chemotherapists (including molecular targeted and ambulatory) radiologists, nutritionists and specialists of pain and emotional management or also known as Tumor Conference.
Diagnosis and Treatment Service at the Oncology Radiotherapy Center
Radiation Therapy is effective in the treatment of Malignant Tumors and Benign tumors. The uses ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control or kill cancer cells while effecting minimal damage to surrounding organs and tissues. It can be effective in numerous process such as diagnosis, treatment planning, accurate positioning, and treatment itself.
Teletherapy or External beam therapy is a method of delivering a beam or several beams of high-energy ray to a patient’s tumor from outside the patient usually via a linear accelerator. These high energy x-rays can deposit their dose to the area of the tumor to destroy the cancer cells and, with careful treatment planning, spare the surrounding normal tissues.
Wattanosoth Hospital offers the Linear Accelerator as part of its Radiation Therapy services as well as the IGRT such as:
1. EDGE : New Era of Cancer Radiosurgery
EDGE Radiosurgery uses non-invasive tumor-destroying with high radiation dose to treat cancer anywhere in the body where radiation is indicated. EDEGE system is being used with patients who were not good candidates for surgery.
This powerful advanced technology is very precise, accurate, convenient and fast. In fact, most treatments take only 15 minutes.
2. LINAC (Linear Accelerator: ELEKTA PRECISE)
This machine produces high energy X-ray beams and is able to make adjustments (referred to as Multileaf Collimator) according to the shape of the tumor. Image-guide technique (IGRT) helps to pinpoint the location of tumors, avoiding radiation exposure to normal tissues. It is considered one of the most advanced, efficient, and safe techniques available.
3. VMAT (ELEKTA SYNERGY VMAT)
This advanced technology provides radiotherapy by acting as an electron accelerator. It is capable of providing traditional therapy through to more advanced therapy including Volumetric Modulated Radiotherapy
More about the VMAT technique
Able to make adjustments to radiation quantity to levels that are suitable according to the size and shape of the tumor
Able to adjust the speed, quantity, and dispersion of radiation rays as well as map position of obstacles to treatment that may be in and around the tumor. This will help to ensure that the rays will encompass the tumor area, while reducing potential radiation exposure to surrounding organs.
Provides higher accuracy in cancer treatment. Prior to the VMAT technique planning was done via 3D navigation to pinpoint location of tumors, and imaging was not provided in real time.
4. Brachytherapy or Internal beam therapy
which means short-distance therapy involves placing radioactive material directly inside your body or close to or directly in the tumor. The material will remain there either temporarily or permanently, depending on type of cancer. Brachytherapy is not the only treatment method and can be used with other procedures such as teletherapy or surgical oncology. Brachytherapy can be used to treat several types of cancers including cervical, ovarian, lung, esophageal cancer, as well as cancers found in the head and neck area. (LINK)
Benefits of High Dose Rate Brachytherapy
Improves efficiency of treatment by providing higher accuracy
Reduces side effects, as it is able to pinpoint cancer while limiting radiation exposure to surrounding organs and tissues.
Considered a small procedure, does not require a major surgery, applicable of OPD treatment.
What is IGRT?
Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is the use of frequent imaging during a course of radiation therapy for the purpose of improving the precision and accuracy of the delivery of treatment. In IGRT, machines that deliver radiation, such as a linear accelerator (for x-ray or photon) or cyclotron/synchrotron (for proton), are equipped with special imaging technology that allow the physician to image the tumor immediately before or even during the time radiation is delivered, while the patient is positioned on the treatment table. Using specialized computer software, these images are then compared to the reference images taken during simulation. Any necessary adjustments are then made to the patient's position and/or radiation beams in order to more precisely target radiation at the tumor and avoid healthy surrounding tissue. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound (US) and x-ray imaging may be used for IGRT by visualizing boney or soft-tissue anatomy. Other methods for IGRT use markers placed on the patient's body surface or implanted within the patient's body.
