Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy (590824)

About the department

The Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy at the Academic Municipal Hospital Karlsruhe offers all modern types of radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer and benign diseases. The head of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Katja Lindel.

Thanks to the innovative technical base, the department offers such types of radiation therapy as intensity-modulated radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotaxy/radiosurgery, combined chemoradiotherapy and radioimmunotherapy. Computer technologies of the very latest generation allow the doctors to carry out the most accurate treatment, monitoring and documentation of the results.

After the doctor's decision on the need for radiation therapy, the planning of the first procedure begins. The planning is carried out using the cutting-edge computed tomography. A radiation oncologist records the desired targeted volume of radiation in each section, whereas the physicist and doctor use 3D computer system to determine the most favorable location of the radiation fields. The therapy is followed by regular consultations aimed at the monitoring of the treatment results. Also, the therapeutic spectrum is complemented by psycho-oncological care.

The department offers the treatment of the following diseases:

• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Otolaryngological tumors
• Intestinal, esophageal, anal cancers 
• Lung cancer
• Brain tumors
• Lymphomas and plasmacytomas, leukemias
• Uterine tumors
• Sarcomas
• Skin tumors
• All types of metastases (metastases in the bones, lymph nodes, brain, soft tissues)
• Benign diseases
  • Degenerative inflammatory changes in the skeleton (for example, calcaneal spur, tennis elbow, knee, shoulder and hip arthrosis)
  • Endocrine ophthalmopathy
  • Preventive irradiation of patients in risk of development of breast and prostate cancer
  • Irradiation for prevention of the development of unwanted bone tumors after hip replacement surgery
• Other benign and malignant pathologies

The department specializes in the following types of radiation therapy:

• Highly conformal 3D photon irradiation
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy
• Volumetric modulated arc therapy
• Imaging-guided radiation therapy
• Stereotaxy and radiosurgery, especially in small lung tumors, metastases in the brain, lungs and liver
• Interstitial brachytherapy (prostate tumors, gynecological tumors)
• Intraluminal brachytherapy (esophageal tumors)
• Intracavitary brachytherapy (uterine tumors)
• Contact brachytherapy (skin tumors)
• Electron therapy (skin tumors)
• Total body irradiation (in leukemia)
• Other types of radiation therapy

Photo of the doctor: (с) Städtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe