Radiation Therapy

IMAGE GUIDED RADIATION THERAPY (IGRT)

There are two main types of radiation therapy :

1. External beam radiation treatments - Linear Accelerator 2. Internal beam radiation treatments - Brachytherapy

External Beam Radiation Therapy
External beam radiation therapy is the most widespread method of radiation therapy. This involves focusing a beam of radiation from an external source on a tumour inside the body. This is being done at AHI through Image Guided Radio Therapy (IGRT)

Linear Accelerator
Linear Accelerator (LINAC) is the device used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer. The Linear Accelerator can also be used in stereo tactic radio surgery (SRS) on targets within the brain. The Linear Accelerator can also be used to treat areas outside the brain. It delivers a uniform dose of high-energy X-ray to the region of the tumour. These X-rays can destroy the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissues.

What is Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT)?
Traditionally, imaging technology used IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) to produce three - dimensional scans of the patient's anatomy, to identify the exact location of the cancer tumour prior to treatment. Though IMRT enhanced the capacity of focusing radiation to cancer bearing areas, yet this technology had a drawback. Tumours can move, both during a radiation treatment session and from one treatment session to another as a result of normal internal organ action (digestion, elimination and breathing). This unplanned position of tumour leads it to not receiving full amount of radiation as it should receive, and normal tissues may receive more radiation than they can tolerate. To overcome this challenge, Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) was introduced as a novel technology. IGRT combines a new form of scanning technology, which allows planar of X-ray Volume Imaging with IMRT. This enables physicians to adjust the radiation beam based on the position of the target tumour and critical organs, while the patient is in the treatment beams.

AHI has Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) LINAC from Elekta, Model Synergy.

Diseases:-
The oncologists at AHI are equipped to treat various kinds of cancers, including but not limited to:

• Larynx
• Colorectal Cancer
• Hodgkin's Disease
• Leukaemia
• Prostate Cancer
• Oesophagus Cancer
• Oral Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer

Special Care Units / Diagnostic Equipment / Facilities

• Diffusion Weighted Whole Body Imaging with Background Body Signal (DWIBS)
• 3 Tesla MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Mammography System
• PET Scan
• Advanced CT Scan (64-slice CT)
• PET-CT Fusion Technology
• Dual Head Gamma Camera
• Brachytherapy
• Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) - the first in North India

Team of Specialists:

• Dr Ranga Rao Consultant- Medical OncologyView Profile

• Dr. Deep Goel, Gastrointestinal Surgeon Consultant- Surgical OncologyView Profile

• Dr Subodh Pandey Consultant- Radiation OncologistView Profile