The program includes:
- Initial presentation in the clinic
- clinical history taking
- review of medical records
- physical examination
- laboratory tests:
- complete blood count
- biochemical analysis of blood
- inflammation indicators (CRP, ESR)
- indicators of blood coagulation
- CT planning of radiation therapy
- full course of radiation therapy
- nursing services
- explanation of individual treatment plan
How program is carried out
During the first visit, the doctor will conduct a clinical examination and go through the results of previous laboratory tests and instrumental examinations. After that, you will undergo an additional examination, including complete blood count, laboratory assessment of liver and kidney function. Based on the received results, the physician will conduct radiotherapy planning with the help of CT or MRI, make the permanent tattoo marks on the skin and conduct CT simulation in order to assess the accuracy of the rays and the radiation dose. If necessary, related medical specialists will be involved in the elaboration of a treatment regimen (tumor board).
Radiation therapy is carried out as the day hospital procedure, without mandatory admission to the hospital. At each visit, the physician will assess your general condition and the marks on the skin. After that, you will be placed in a shielded radiation therapy room, on a special table.
Each radiation therapy session lasts less than half an hour (including preparation). All this time, doctors and nurses are monitoring your condition, you can communicate with them through a loudspeaker. The procedure is completely painless. Depending on the planned course of treatment, you will visit the hospital from 1 to 3-5 times a week.
After the completion of the radiation therapy course, you will undergo control examinations aimed at assessing your condition and efficacy of treatment. After that you will receive the medical report with detailed recommendations regarding further follow-up and treatment. In the future, you will be able to have a distant consultation with your attending physician and schedule the next course of treatment, if necessary.
Required documents
- Medical records
- MRI/CT scan (not older than 3 months)
- Biopsy results (if available)
Service
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About the department
The Department of Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology at the MediClin Robert Janker Clinic offers all types of modern radiation therapy for the highly effective treatment of benign and malignant tumors. The department has three linear accelerators and systems for brachytherapy, with the help of which the patients are provided with the safest, most effective and most sparing irradiation of tissues affected by oncopathology. The department's tasks also include radiation therapy planning and radiosurgery. An ultramodern technical base, exceptional professionalism and experience of the department's doctors are the cornerstone of the successful clinical practice. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Michael Pinkawa.
The department specializes in the treatment of all benign and malignant neoplasms, including metastasis. It carries out curative procedures, as well as palliative care for the alleviation of symptoms and improvement of the quality of life of a patient with vascular malformations of the brain, functional disorders of the nervous system (for example, epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia), degenerative inflammatory and proliferative diseases. Depending on the diagnosis, the optimal treatment regimen is individually selected for the patient. In the case of malignant tumors, each clinical case is considered at an interdisciplinary board with the participation of all the necessary experts. The doctors also preliminarily hold consultations, during which they tell the patient in detail about all stages of the therapeutic process, possible side effects and the predicted result.
An important part of treatment is the preliminary planning of radiation therapy. The planning aims to optimally radiate the area affected by the pathological process to maximally preserve the healthy tissues. The therapy planning is based on CT scans, but in some cases such additional tests as MRI and PET may be required as well. All scans serve for the accurate determination of the areas, which will be irradiated during the subsequent course of therapy.
The irradiation itself is carried out by the medical-technical radiology assistant under the careful guidance of the specialized physician. The medical-technical radiology assistant imports the data obtained during the treatment planning into the computer system of the linear accelerator. Then the patient is placed on the treatment table of the device in the position, which is provided by the individual therapy plan. Depending on the treatment regimen, the actual irradiation usually lasts only a few minutes. The whole procedure, including preparation, takes no more than 15 minutes. During the exposure, the patient does not experience any pain. In some cases, just one session of irradiation is sufficient, but more often the patient needs several sessions, as this helps him to better tolerate the therapy and maintain healthy tissue as much as possible. As after any other therapy, the patient requires follow-up monitoring in order to consolidate the result. The first follow-up examination is usually carried out after 6-8 weeks, then four times a year (in malignant diseases).
The department specializes in stereotactic procedures, which are one of the most accurate and effective types of radiation therapy. During this therapy, a precisely defined dose of radiation is directed to the tumor. This technique differs from classical radiation therapy in high accuracy and dosage, due to which the doctors often manage to reduce the duration of treatment. Stereotaxy is especially effective in the case of irradiation of small tumors. Stereotactic irradiation can be divided into several sessions (fractional therapy) or carried out within a single session (radiosurgery). The number of sessions depends on the location and size of the tumor. As a rule, stereotaxy is used for the treatment of benign and malignant brain tumors, brain metastasis, liver cancer and liver or lymph node metastasis, small lung tumors and lung metastasis, prostate cancer, recurrent tumors, vascular malformations and bone metastasis.
The team of the department's doctors also has unique competencies in radiosurgery (a special type of stereotaxy). As opposed to a conventional surgical intervention, cancer surgery is not invasive, the patient does not experience any pain during treatment and the anesthesia is not required. When performing radiosurgery, the doctors irradiate the tumor only once using very high and effective dose. Radiosurgery is usually performed to treat tumors with clear boundaries, when the classical intervention cannot be performed due to the localization of the neoplasm (for example, in brain tumors). Radiosurgery is highly accurate and has a minimal negative effect on the healthy tissues.
The department's therapeutic service range is complemented by brachytherapy. Brachytherapy is a particularly effective type of radiation therapy. Unlike the percutaneous irradiation technique, during the brachytherapy, the radiation source is located in the body, in the immediate vicinity of the tumor. Since brachytherapy affects a very limited area, the doctors can use a high dose of radiation. In most cases, this type of therapy serves for the treatment of tumors of the female reproductive system, lung, esophageal and prostate cancer. Brachytherapy can also be carried out as palliative care to alleviate the symptoms.
The department specializes in radiation therapy for the following pathologies:
- Benign diseases
- Acoustic neuroma
- Arteriovenous malformations
- Vascular malformations of the brain
- Chronic musculoskeletal pains
- Degenerative inflammatory diseases
- Inflammatory and proliferative diseases
- Epilepsy
- Functional brain disorders
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Pituitary adenoma
- Meningioma
- Ledderhose's disease
- Dupuytren's contracture
- Scar relapse prevention (keloids)
- Degenerative diseases of the finger, shoulder, knee and hip joints accompanied by severe pain
- Heel spur, plantar fasciitis
- Penile curvature
- Malignant diseases
- Prostate cancer
- Breast cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Uterine cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Cancer of the endometrial mucosa
- Vaginal cancer
- Bowel cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Liver cancer and liver metastasis
- Lung cancer
- Kidney cancer and kidney metastasis
- Soft tissue metastasis
- Other benign and malignant pathologies
Curriculum vitae
Since April 2017, Prof. Michael Pinkawa has been the Chief Physician of the Department of Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology at the MediClin Robert Janker Clinic. Prior to that, he worked as Senior Physician and Deputy Head of the Department of Radiation Therapy at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen. Prof. Pinkawa is a Member of the German Cancer Society, within which he is responsible for the certification of Cancer Centers and the awarding of certificates to committees. In addition, the doctor is the author of more than 100 scientific publications. He is one of the leading experts in the world in the use of special type of radiation therapy for prostate cancer treatment. In 2011, Dr. Pinkawa joined the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO).
Photo of the doctor: (c) MEDICLIN Robert Janker Klinik
About hospital
The MediClin Robert Janker Clinic is a progressive medical facility, which has all the very latest diagnostic and treatment methods for the recovery of health of patients who suffer from cancers. The clinic was founded by renowned radiologist and surgeon Robert Janker. Today, its history has more than 80 years of successful clinical practice, which has brought worldwide fame and reputability to the medical center. The specialization of the clinic includes oncology, radiation oncology, diagnostic and interventional radiology, palliative care.
The work of the medical team of the clinic is based on the use of sparing and highly specialized therapeutic procedures. Each clinical case is individual and requires a special approach. The specialists of the medical facility guarantee their patients not only the most effective treatment, but also top-class medical care, respectful attitude and understanding of the needs and wishes of each patient.
The patients can receive medical care both on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The doctors of the clinic cooperate closely with many specialized Cancer Centers in Germany, as well as with many private practitioners. Along with conventional cancer treatments, the clinic also offers an individual counseling, psychological support, social care and other related activities.
The outstanding quality of the diagnostics and treatment is confirmed by certification in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001: 2015 standards. In addition, the clinic is certified by the German Cancer Society. The clinic is also a certified cooperation partner of the Cancer Center Bonn-Rhein-Sieg.
Photo: (c) MEDICLIN Robert Janker Klinik, (c) depositphotos
Accommodation in hospital
Patients rooms
The patients of the MediClin Robert Janker Clinic live in modern and comfortable rooms. Each room is equipped with an ensuite bathroom with shower and toilet. The standard room includes a comfortable automatically adjustable bed, a bedside table, a table and chairs for receiving visitors, a wardrobe for storing clothes, a radio, a TV and a telephone (additional charges apply for using a telephone and a TV). The patient rooms also have WI-FI.
The patients with disabilities are accommodated in specially equipped rooms. The clinic also provides single enhanced-comfort rooms of a five-star hotel level.
Meals and Menus
The patients of the clinic are offered healthy and varied diet. The wishes and needs of the patient are always taken into account. The patients have a choice of several daily menus, particularly, a full menu, a basic menu, both diet and vegetarian menus. Breakfast and lunch are served in the cafeteria of the clinic, while dinner is served in the patient room.
The patients who live in enhanced-comfort rooms are offered an individual menu. In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, the patient is additionally provided with coffee and delicious cakes, fruit in the room.
Further details
Standard rooms include:
Religion
Religious services can be provided upon request.
Accompanying person
During an inpatient program, an accompanying person can stay with you in the patient room or in a hotel of your choice.
Hotel
During the outpatient program, you can stay at a hotel of your choice. Our managers will help you choose the most suitable option.