Treatment of lung cancer by radiation therapy in Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch

About the department

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Radiation Therapy, Radiation Oncology at the Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch specializes in all types of modern radiation therapy for the treatment of cancers and pain syndromes. Radiation therapy can be performed before, during or after surgery. In some cases, the department's doctors manage to achieve a positive result only with the help of radiation therapy, and thereby eliminate the need for surgical treatment. Prior to radiation therapy, it is carefully planned using the very latest imaging systems. The department's doctors are highly professional experts and have unique experience, thanks to which they provide excellent medical services. The Chief Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Robert Krempien.

Thanks to the available innovative computer technologies, the department's doctors have the opportunity to carefully examine the patient prior to radiation therapy and determine the necessary radiation dose as accurately as possible in order to achieve an effective result. At the same time, the department's specialists apply irradiation techniques to maximize the impact on the tissues affected by pathology, but not to impact on the healthy ones.

It is worth noting that the department is one of four medical facilities in Germany, which provides intraoperative electron radiation therapy. To carry out this type of therapy, the doctors apply an ultramodern mobile linear accelerator, which is the source of electronic radiation. Currently, this technique is considered the fastest, safest, most versatile and accurate option for intraoperative radiation therapy. During the therapy, the accelerator generates a high-dose electron beam, which is directed to the tumor, while classical radiation therapy involves irradiation from the outside, through the skin and healthy tissues. The electrons pass through a manipulator, on which a linear accelerator is mounted. During the procedure, the surgeon and radiation therapist work hand in hand. The exposure time during the surgery lasts no more than 1-2 minutes.

To treat superficial tumors, in particular, skin tumors, the department's doctors mostly use X-ray irradiation. Such irradiation is suitable for the treatment of both skin malignancies, and benign skin changes (for example, keloid scars). The therapy can be applied if the tumor cannot be removed surgically due to its size or location, or as an additional treatment after surgery (especially after surgical removal of basal and squamous cell carcinoma).

The department also provides radiation therapy for the treatment of degenerative and inflammatory joint diseases. In this case, X-ray irradiation (orthovoltage x-ray therapy) is applied. The therapy is particularly effective in patients with acute and chronic joint diseases, arthrosis, arthritis, pain syndromes, tendon lesions, Dupuytren's contracture and Ledderhose disease.

The therapeutic options of the department include the treatment of the following diseases:

• Uterine and cervical cancer 
• Lung cancer
• Benign and malignant brain tumors (for example, astrocytomas, glioblastomas and meningiomas, as well as brain metastasis)
• Malignant neoplasms in children
• Genitourinary cancer in men (prostate cancer, bladder cancer)
• Head and neck tumors
• Gastrointestinal tumors
• Benign joint diseases
• Other pathologies

The department specializes in the following types of radiation therapy:

• Intraoperative electron radiation therapy
• X-ray exposure for superficial benign and malignant skin neoplasms
• Pain therapy using irradiation for degenerative and inflammatory joint diseases
• Preoperative radiation therapy
• Chemoradiotherapy
• Radiation therapy in combination with immunotherapy
• Hyperthermia
• Psycho-oncological care
• Other types of radiation therapy