Radiology Treatment

What is Radiation Therapy?

Radiation therapy also known as radiotherapy is the process that utilises ionising radiation to kill or damage malignant cells such as x-rays, gamma rays or protons. It is aimed at the DNA of cancerous cells, which essentially inhibits their ability to multiply.

Types of Radiation Therapy

• External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): Similar to 3D-Gammas, the tumour is irradiated from the outside of the body using a machine.
• Internal Radiation Therapy (Brachytherapy): It is used in implanting radioactive sources into the tumor itself.
• Systemic Radiation Therapy: Radioactivity is taken through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells all over the body.

What is the treatment of Radiology?

Diagnostic imaging is a branch of medicine that deals with identification of diseases and their effects by the use of imaging modalities. In this case, the treatment that is generally associated with radiology is interventional radiology and radiation therapy, which can be applied for therapeutic purposes.

Radiation Therapy (Radiotherapy):

• Seems to employ such tools of action as X-ray, gamma-ray or beam of protons to obliterate cancer cells.
• It can be employed individually or combined with surgery and/or chemotherapy in cancer therapy.

Interventional Radiology (IR):

• Surgery or bio-interventions involving minimal closure of the body with the help of imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI).
• These diseases are commonly employed for the treatment of the blockage, tumors, and vascular diseases.

Common treatments:

• Angioplasty & Stenting – A technique involving widening of the blood vessels through the use of a catheter.
• Embolization Therapy – Blocks blood supply to tumors (e.g., uterine fibroid embolization).
• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) – Uses heat to destroy tumors.
• Drainage Procedures – Removes fluids from abscesses or cysts.

Nuclear Medicine Therapy:

• In its operations, it is known to utilize radioactive substances to manage some diseases.
• Example: Radioiodine Therapy (I-131) for thyroid disorders.

Radiation Therapy for Cancer

Cancer therapy using radiation is well known and it is a therapy that utilizes rays of high energy to effectively destroy cancerous cells. It functions by specifically destroying the cancer cells’ DNA hence minimizing their ability to multiply and proliferate.

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)

• Cancer treatment involves focusing radiation beams by a machine such as linear accelerator to the required area of the body known as tumor.
• It is applied to many types of cancer such as breast, lung, prostate and brain cancer.

Types:

3D Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT): tailored in the shape of the tumor to fit around it.

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): This is a form of therapy that focuses on the ways of varying the intensity of the radiation beam to affect a tumor, while at the same time minimizing any impact it has on the health of the neighbouring tissues.

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT): A treatment which delivers a large dose of radiation into the tumor site in three to five treatments rather than twenty-five; it is effective for lung, liver, or brain tumor.

Internal Radiation Therapy (Brachytherapy)

• Radioactive materials are located either in the tumor or in the region near the tumor.
• It is particularly employed for prostate, cervical and breast cancers.
• May be permanent; if for seed implants or temporary – high dose rate brachytherapy.

Systemic Radiation Therapy

• Administration of radioactive drugs is done either through ingestion or intravenous administration.
• Example: Radioiodine (I-131) for thyroid cancer, Radium-223 for bone cancer.

Radiation Therapy Treatment Procedure

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) Procedure

• Patient lies on the treatment table in the same position as during simulation.
• The LINAC machine is used to provide the radiation beams to the tumor location in a precise manner possible.
• The procedure is painless and normally takes up to half an hour or less.
• This is normally done for five days a week for several weeks depending on the type of cancer affecting the patient.

Internal Radiation Therapy (Brachytherapy) Procedure

• Radiation is then installed inside or around the tumor through the help of catheters or applicators.
• Low-Dose Rate (LDR): Implants are placed in the target site for a period of a few hours to a few days.
• High-Dose Rate (HDR): This is also a brachytherapy technique whereby irradiation is delivered in short fractions and the radioactive source is withdrawn.

Systemic Radiation Therapy Procedure

• Patient may take the radioactive medicine orally or it is administered to him through an intravenous infusion.
• In this process, the radioactive substance is transported by the blood stream to get to the cancerous cells.
• Example: Radioiodine (I-131) for thyroid cancer.

Best Hospital for Radiation Therapy

Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon

Artemis Hospital in Gurgaon provides cutting edge radiation therapy facilities to the patients through its Artemis Cancer Centre. Such health facilities also include the North India’s first M6 CyberKnife system that is used for treatment of tumour especially in the brain but is non-invasive. Other facilities used in the hospital include a luxurious and modern facility that can be used to diagnose patients include PET scans, Linear Accelerators, and advanced 3 Tesla MRI machines.

Address: Sector 51, Gurugram, Bindapur, Haryana 122001

Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon

Medanta – The Medicity is a known medical facility based in Gurgaon, India, and it has an extensive Department of Radiation Oncology it offers radiation treatment. Some of the technologies available at the hospital are CyberKnife VSI, Tomotherapy, linear accelerators with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy/ Image Guided Radiation Therapy and Integrated Brachytherapy Unit that allows treating tumors of size 5mm to 135cm.

Address: Medanta-The Medicity, CH Baktawar Singh Rd, Medicity, Islampur Colony, Sector 38. Gurugram, Haryana, 122001

Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon

Fortis Memorial Research Institute, in Gurgaon specializes in offering Radiation Therapy treatment through MR Linac, EBRT, and Brachytherapy. These methods help provide detailed images of the tumours, administration of treatment at the exact location of the tumour and cause less damage to the normal tissues or other essential parts of the body.

Address: Sector 44, Opposite Huda City Centre, Gurugram, Haryana 122002

Apollo Hospital, Delhi

Apollo Hospitals at New Delhi provides radiation therapy facilities through its branch: Department of Radiation Oncology. Some of the technologies at the hospital include the Radixact-X9 Tomotherapy that combines the imaging and treatment platform for several cancer types.

Address: Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Sarita Vihar, Delhi Mathura Road, New Delhi 110076

Max Hospital, Saket

Max Super Speciality Hospital situated in Saket, New Delhi has got the best Radiation Oncology Department in the hospital that delivers radiation therapy services. The hospital utilizes methods such as IMRT and IGRT, and has a professional oncology staff. The available complementary therapies are counselling and pain management which are offered by the hospital. This means that the care is delivered from an organization that has a joint approach and actually embraces the client and patient holistically.

Address: 1, 2 Press Enclave Marg, New Delhi

Top Doctor for Radiation Therapy

Dr. S Jayalakshmi

She has been practising as Senior Consultant, Radiation Oncology in Dharamshila Cancer Hospital, and Anand Hospital. She established and headed the department at Metro Hospitals, Preet Vihar, Delhi, India prior to Joining Artemis Hospitals in 2013. She has undergone fellowships in 3DCRT & IMRT from University of Bristol, and in IGRT, SRS and SRT from Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, and in cyberknife SRS, SRT, and SBRT from Accuray International, San Jose, California, USA.

Address: Sector 51, Gurugram, Bindapur, Haryana 122001

Contact: +91-9289678787.

Dr. Tejinder Kataria

Dr. Tejinder Kataria is a Cancer Care Radiation Oncologist with vast experience from across the world whose work has helped in pushing forward cancer care in India. She has 35 years of experience. She is at present the Chairperson for Radiation Oncology at Medanta – The Medicity, Gurugram, New Delhi. Her interests are as follows; Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D CRT), Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography (PET-CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT).

Address: Medanta-The Medicity, CH Baktawar Singh Rd, Medicity, Islampur Colony, Sector 38. Gurugram, Haryana, 122001

Contact: +91-9289678787.

Dr. Anil Kumar Anand

Dr Anil Kumar Anand, radiation onco doctor in Gurgaon, has over 31+ years of rich experience to his credit in the field of radiation oncology. He is an alumnus of Dayanand Medical College Ludhiana from where he did is MBBS, followed by MD (Radiotherapy and Oncology) from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) Chandigarh. He has done specialised training in radiation therapy at the New York Hospital Medical Centre of Queens. He has also done specialised training in Radiotherapy of Head and Neck Cancers from The Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London.  Dr. Anand has joined FMRI, Gurugram from Max hospital, Saket where he was associated as Principal Director-Radiation Oncology since 2009.

Address: Sector 44, Opposite Huda City Centre, Gurugram, Haryana 122002

Contact: +91-9289678787.

Dr. Ganesh Jadhav

Dr. Ganesh Jadhav is a distinguished Radiation Specialist Oncologist based in South Delhi, Delhi, with an impressive 30 years of experience in the field of oncology. He is highly regarded for his expert knowledge and compassionate patient care. As an integral part of Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Jadhav specializes in Radiation Oncology, employing the latest advancements and techniques in radiation therapy to provide targeted treatments aimed at minimizing side effects while maximizing effectiveness. His dedication to the field is not just in providing treatment but also in inspiring hope and resilience in his patients.

Address: Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Sarita Vihar, Delhi Mathura Road, New Delhi 110076

Contact: +91-9289678787.

Dr. Charu Garg

Dr. Charu Garg, a 19-year post-MD in Oncology and Radiation Oncology, joined Max Healthcare in 2011 as a Senior Consultant in Radiation Oncology. She has worked at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Medanta – The Medicity, and received advanced training in Germany.

Address: 1, 2 Press Enclave Marg, New Delhi

Contact: +91-9289678787.

Radiation Therapy Side Effects

Radiation therapy aims at cancerous cells but also harms other cells of the body therefore resulting in side effects. It is therefore important to note that these side effects depend on the location treated, the dose of radiation, and other unique characteristics of the patient.

• Fatigue
• Skin Changes
• Hair Loss
• Loss of Appetite
• Nausea
• Diarrhea