Radiotherapy is a procedure that uses radiation for therapeutic purposes. Over the last few decades, technological developments have enabled great progress to be made in the way that radiation is administered to the target organ.
In 2000, the Hospital Sírio-Libanês Oncology Center was the first in Latin America to incorporate the Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) technique. This complex treatment method has revolutionized the field of Radiotherapy, because the IMRT technique enables high levels of radiation to be administered to tumors in several parts of the body causing minimal damage to the healthy tissues close to the affected area. This treatment causes fewer side-effects for the patient and the results have been shown to be more effective, especially for tumors on the prostate gland and in the head and neck.
The Oncology Center was also one of the first to use radioactive iodine seed implants (Brachytherapy) to treat early signs of prostate cancer. For the same patients who require a radical prostatectomy, Brachytherapy is a therapeutic alternative with comparative disease control results. Up to April 2006, almost 550 patients had received Brachytherapy treatment of the prostate at the institution.
The Oncology Center is also equipped with the necessary equipment and facilities to carry out Intra-Operative Radiotherapy Procedures, which enable the operated area to undergo radiation treatment in a single application during surgery. This treatment can be used on recurrent tumors, those which are difficult to deal with surgically, and even in certain cases of breast tumors.
Ever since 2005, the Oncology Center has also been carrying out Radiosurgery- an extreme precision treatment involving the single application of high levels of radiation, which is used mainly for brain injuries
This service has a total of three linear accelerators available, two of which have double energy photons (6MV and 18MV), plus the possibility of using electron beams to treat surface injuries. Computerized tomography apparatus and PET/CT connected to radiotherapy planning software have made the virtual planning of Conventional Radiotherapy, Three Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy, IMRT, Radiosurgery or Stereotactic Fractionated Radiotherapy treatment possible.
All the accelerators are managed by the Lantis system, which increases the quality control during the application. The department also has a high-dosage brachytherapy unit, which is often used for gynecological tumors.
