The Department of Radiation Oncology at Yashoda Cancer Institute is a Centre of Excellence in the country for stereotactic treatments. It is on par with international standards and has one of the most technologically advanced clinical radiation therapy programs in the world. In addition to a large team of specialized doctors and state-of-the-art equipment, the department has highly trained and board-certified radiation oncologists, physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, nurses, dieticians, and other professionals in the evaluation, planning, delivery, and ongoing review of each patient’s treatment. This ensures high-quality comprehensive radiation treatment.
Cancer treatment involves discussion among a board of specialists who decide the best course of treatment. Radiation may be used as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, or biological therapy.
The multidisciplinary tumor boards at the Institute meet every week to discuss complex clinical cases in the hospital as well as any other peripheral hospitals. Apart from the surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists, the tumor board is supported by the faculty of other specialties like ENT, neurology, neurosurgery, gastroenterology, urology, pulmonary medicine, and rehabilitative services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, stoma care, and speech therapy.
The Department of Radiotherapy at the Institute is equipped with Asia’s first Varian RapidArc Linear Accelerator, which has a sophisticated 3D planning system. It is one of the busiest academic departments in the country.
The technology used in RapidArc represents an exponential leap forward in the speed, power, and precision of radiation therapy. It is capable of delivering radiation at a faster dose rate than conventional linear accelerators. Other special features improve the accuracy of treatment so that the overall duration of a course of treatment may also be shortened from several weeks to just a few days. The technology also enables more effective treatment of tumors in locations that were previously difficult to treat because of the sensitivity of the surrounding tissue to radiation.
Yashoda Cancer Institute takes pride in presenting the flattening filter-free (FFF) beam. It is a significant step as it will make the breakthrough technology more accessible and affordable to people across India.
Triple F Radiosurgery unveils a new realm in the world of radiotherapy wherein hypo-fractionated stereotactic treatments can be performed. Triple F technology is extremely fast:
Triple F Radiosurgery is better on treatment delivery, patient comfort, beam matching, dose calculation accuracy, and radiation protection. Since the time of treatment is shorter, the results are better. With other radiotherapy, the higher time of treatment can increase the chances for inaccuracy, complications and other side effects. A decrease in head scatter, leaf transmission, and out-of-field scatter leads to reduced dose to the surrounding normal tissues, reducing the risk of secondary cancers.
The strength of Yashoda Cancer Institute lies in its ability to offer all treatment modalities under one roof. The emphasis is on combining all modalities of treatment in the right combination to achieve the best results while minimizing the side effects.