As a specialised clinic for radiotherapy and radio-oncology, we have highly modern and innovative technologies for fighting cancer in our centre for high-precision radiotherapy in order to gear even more strongly our spectrum or treatment toward the medical needs of our patients. The high-precision radiotherapy systems, Novalis® and Varian Clinac® DHX , are at the heart of our oncology centre. Both linear accelerators enable a very low-impact, safe, effective and, above all, patient-friendly treatment against tumours.
With this high-end technology, we have expanded and improved the treatment options of our clinic on a sustainable basis. The radiotherapy systems were configured specially for the MediClin Robert Janker Clinic. In the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, we are the only non-university institution using the Novalis®-System. And in Germany, there are only five institutions in total working with this medical technology.
Why are we relying on the high-precision radiotherapy with Novalis® and Varian Clinac® DHX for your health?
The decisive factor in radiotherapy is to hit the tumour with the largest possible dose while impacting the surrounding, healthy tissue as little as possible. The stereotactic radiotherapy – often referred to as an “operation without scalpels” – enables highly precise irradiation of tumours and vascular abnormalities in the patient’s body and can thus increase the chances of recovery in many cases.
Due to the exceptionally accurate irradiation with our high-precision radiotherapy systems Novalis® and Varian Clinac® DHX, we can treat tumours located near or in sensitive areas such as the brain stem or the optic nerve. Our radiotherapy systems can also be applied for tumours lying deeper in the body, which until now have been notoriously difficult to treat.
Compared to conventional procedures, we can administer multiple and higher doses of radiation through stereotactic irradiation. Consequently, the effectiveness of the irradiation is improved and the chances increase of the tumour diminishing or receding completely. Reoccurring tumours can also be irradiated effectively through this radiation method.
With our high-precision radiotherapy systems, we can treat a wide rage of indications:
- brain tumours
- prostate tumours
- lung tumours
- head-neck-tumours
- liver tumours
- spinal and spinal cord tumours
- vascular abnormalities in the brain
- malignant metastases in bones
- reoccurring tumours (relapse)
Advantages of our high-precision radiotherapy systems
High precision coupled with effectiveness:
The rays can be bundled with millimetre accuracy so that solely the focus of the disease is hit with the desired dosage. Our radiotherapy system contains integrated mechanisms that enable the rays to be adjusted from various angles optimally to the form of the tumour or area of changed tissue. Akin to a magnifying glass, the full dosage is bundled in the focus of the tumour. This way, the volume of the tumour can be treated more accurately than with previous procedures. Even the smallest or irregularly formed tumours can sighted precisely from every direction through this radiotherapy method.
High safety:
Through high precision, surrounding healthy tissues remains largely unscathed and with minimised side effects, despite high dosages. The devices are capable of implementing an automatic correction in patient position in cases of changes to the treatment plan, which likewise increases the safety of the irradiation.
High speed:
With our radiotherapy equipment, we can conduct stereotactic treatment quickly and effectively. Our radiotherapy devices are equipped with specialised, above-standard systems that automate all treatment steps: from planning to patient positioning and the actual treatment to documentation. Accordingly, with Novalis® and Varian Clinac® DHX, we can significantly reduce the duration of treatment to the benefit of our patients.
Maximum patient comfort:
Treatment, which is possible for both out- and in-patient therapy, is carried out on a non-invasive basis and is painless for the patients.
Individualised treatment:
The state-of-the-art treatment options of our high-precision radiotherapy systems provide our doctors with the possibility to select the appropriate radiation therapy form for each patient according to indication.
Breathing-synchronized radiotherapy:
Treating lung tumours and metastases poses a serious challenge for radiotherapists since they can be affected by breathing-induced movements and thus change position during irradiation. Both Novalis® as well as Varian Clinac® DHX have integrated adaptive-gating-technology, which calibrates the internal tumour movements with the breathing cycle of the patient. This technology allows us to conduct radiotherapy synchronised with the patient’s breathing pattern, meaning that rays can only be emitted when the tumour is located in the target area.
Optimal distribution of irradiation dosage:
With both radiotherapy systems at our clinic, our radiotherapists can change the intensity of the radiation during a session in order to shield surrounding tissue from exposure and to increase the effect on the tumour directly. The so-called intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) enables an exact adjustment of the dosage to the target-volume (the volume of the tumour), while protecting the surrounding organs at the same time.
Special image-supported positioning technology:
Our radiotherapy systems can bring patients in a reliable, reproducibly position for treatment with millimetre accuracy, using the integrated Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT). Accordingly, high dosages of radiation can be applied to a defined target. Through innovative medical technology, we can attain high precision in the radiotherapeutic treatment of tumours in order to meet the individual requirements of our patients. The technical specificities of the individual radiation systems can be described as follows:
Novalis®:
Precision through multiple computer-controlled positioning checks
- Through specialised positioning technology in Novalis®, we can automatically and promptly adjust to the position of the patient.
- With infrared- and x-rays, we can determine the exact positions of the tumour.
- Using this information, the robotic Novalis® operating table can correct positioning mistakes in six directions – turn, tilt, and linear movements.
- Our Novalis® radiotherapy system makes frameless radiosurgery possible. As a result, we can carry out treatments outside the brain – for instance in the spine. Frameless radiosurgery is considered the most developed and modern method of radiosurgery.
Varian Clinac® DHX:
Precision through highly modern imaging system
- In our Varian Clinac® DHX linear accelerator, there is an additional high-tech imaging system installed, which recognises the exact location of the tumour directly before the start of the actual radiation. The system is called On Board Imager (OBI) with Cone Beam Computer Tomography.In our Varian Clinac® DHX linear accelerator, there is an additional high-tech imaging system installed, which recognises the exact location of the tumour directly before the start of the actual radiation. The system is called On Board Imager (OBI) with Cone Beam Computer Tomography. In our Varian Clinac® DHX linear accelerator, there is an additional high-tech imaging system installed, which recognises the exact location of the tumour directly before the start of the actual radiation. The system is called On Board Imager (OBI) with Cone Beam Computer Tomography.
- OBI consists of a conventional x-ray tube and a digital image detector. Using automatically controlled robotic arms, the x-ray tube and detector can be positioned and 3-D volume images of the area of radiation in the patient can be produced.
- With the Cone Beam Computer Tomography, the previous planning CT images can be compared through superposition. In case of differences between the planning images and the current patient positioning, a necessary correction in the patient’s position can be calculated and carried out.