Radiotherapy is a medical treatment that utilizes ionizing radiation, primarily in the treatment of various types of cancer. It involves directing a beam of penetrating photons at cancerous cells to damage their genetic material, thereby preventing them from proliferating.
X-rays have been known in medicine for over a century and are used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In radiotherapy, they are specifically employed to target and destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues as much as possible.
Radiotherapy is less commonly used for non-cancerous conditions. However, it can be curative for certain types of cancer that are localized to a specific area of the body. Typically, radiotherapy is combined with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy.
Purposes of Radiotherapy:
- Curative
- Adjuvant
- Neoadjuvant
- Therapeutic or Palliative
The approach depends on the type, location, and stage of the tumor, as well as the patient’s overall health.
For more information, visit www.radioterapiaroma.it.
When booking an appointment, whether by phone or in person at Reception, the staff will provide instructions for preparing for the treatment. These instructions are available in a document that can be:
- Collected by the patient at Reception
- Sent via email to the patient’s provided address
To begin a radiotherapy cycle, patients receive a detailed information sheet outlining the benefits, limitations, and potential risks of the treatment. The physician ensures that the patient fully understands this information and requests that the patient sign a consent form before initiating the treatment.
The ionizing radiation used in radiotherapy is capable of damaging the DNA of targeted tissues. Cancer cells are generally less capable of repairing this damage, leading to cell death.
To protect healthy tissues, such as the skin or organs that the radiation must pass through to reach the tumor, the radiation beams are carefully shaped and directed from multiple angles, converging at the tumor site to maximize the absorbed dose while minimizing exposure to surrounding areas.
In addition to the tumor, radiation fields may include draining lymph nodes if they are involved or if there is a risk of malignant spread. A margin of healthy tissue around the tumor is also included to account for uncertainties related to positioning and internal organ movement.
CT scans are performed using advanced reconstruction software, significantly reducing the ionizing radiation dose by up to 50% compared to traditional CT scans.
Radiotherapy at Ars Medica
Ars Medica’s radiotherapy department is equipped with the micromultileaf system, integrated with the linear accelerator. This sophisticated technology uses 4mm-thick leaflets to shape the radiation dose to match the tumor’s volume, allowing for personalized treatment based on the specific characteristics of each neoplasm.
This technique enables the delivery of higher doses to the tumor, improving local control while sparing surrounding healthy tissues. It is particularly effective in treating tumors of the brain, prostate, and lungs.
Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)
IMRT represents the cutting edge in radiotherapy, offering a significant advancement over conventional conformal radiotherapy.
V-MAT Radiotherapy
The V-MAT system is an evolution of IMRT, allowing the radiation beam to vary during treatment by controlling both the position and speed of the linear accelerator’s gantry. This method maximizes the dose to the tumor while further reducing the dose to healthy tissues.
At our center, every type of radiation treatment can be performed using the most suitable technology and methods for localized neoplasms in the following organs and systems:
- Head and neck
- Nervous system
- Lung
- Breast
- Skeletal system
- Upper and lower digestive tract
- Gynecological and urinary systems
- Prostate
- Skin
- Soft tissues
Stereotactic Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery
Despite its surgical-sounding name, this method is non-invasive and does not require hospitalization or general anesthesia. It allows for the delivery of very high doses of radiation in a single session or a limited number of sessions, targeting lesions as small as a few millimeters. The radiation beam acts like a scalpel, delivering minimal doses to healthy tissues.
This technique is particularly indicated for treating small primary or secondary tumors of the brain.
Opening Hours
Monday – Friday 08:00 – 21:00
Saturday 08:00 – 13:00
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Via C. Ferrero di Cambiano, 29 – Roma
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