Radiation therapy department No. 2

Radiation therapy department No. 2 is housed in a separate two-story building of the center. The department also includes an external beam radiation therapy unit. Bed capacity: 60 beds.

Department profile:

External beam radiation therapy for malignant neoplasms. The department treats patients with the following diseases:

• lung cancer;
• esophageal cancer;
• rectal cancer
• skin cancer;
• breast cancer;
• cancer of the oropharynx and oral cavity;
• laryngeal cancer;
• thyroid cancer;
• Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphomas;
• malignant neoplasms of the CNS;
• malignant neoplasms of the bones and soft tissues, and others.

Equipment and types of radiation therapy:

External beam radiation therapy is delivered on a Varian Halcyon linear accelerator and on the “AGAT-RM” and “AGAT-S” gamma therapy units; superficial (short-distance) X-ray therapy is performed on the “RENTGEN-TA” unit.

Treatment can also be provided on an outpatient basis.

Length of hospital stay:

Radiation therapy (RT) is given five days a week for three to six weeks. When RT is used for palliative or symptomatic purposes, a course lasts two to three weeks. The total radiation dose and the number of sessions depend on the tumor site, its histological structure and the patient’s general condition.

Possible complications:

Side effects are most often seen in the irradiated area: these are the so-called acute radiation reactions. They usually resolve within a few weeks after the end of treatment. Chronic reactions can last from several months to several years. The most common are nausea, headache, fever, general malaise and weakness.

Sometimes there may be no unwanted reactions at all, or they may be very mild throughout the course of radiation therapy.

What patients need to know:

Irradiation is completely painless. External beam radiation therapy does not make the body radioactive. The radiation does not stay in the body and therefore cannot affect the people around you.

For treatment to go well, we recommend:

• following your doctor’s instructions;
• spending more time outdoors or in a well-ventilated room;
• drinking more fluids (juices, still mineral water);
• including dishes made from lean meat, fish, poultry and cottage cheese, as well as fresh vegetables and fruit, in your diet.