Treatment and diagnostics for abroad

In clinics abroad, radiation therapy is performed using advanced technologies, including:

• high-dose brachytherapy (accelerated internal irradiation of prostate cancer, liver and other organs);
• radionuclide irradiation with samarium oxabiphore (radioactive liquid used to relieve symptoms of bone cancer);
• Mammosite therapy (for the treatment of breast cancer at an early stage, helps to avoid mastectomy);
• intraoperative radiation (performed immediately after removal of the tumor to kill the remaining cancer cells);
• proton therapy (protons release the main energy only after reaching the tumor inside the body, which helps to protect organs in the path of the rays);
• fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (treats complex brain tumors).

These methods help treat the tumor with high doses of radiation without affecting the patient's healthy organs and shortening the duration of the overall course of treatment.

Types of radiation therapy abroad

Clinics abroad use a large number of radiotherapy procedures, which are divided into three main classes: external, internal radiation and with the help of radioactive drugs (rarely used).

External radiation therapy abroad

This is the most common type of radiation in which cancer cells are treated with radiation beams from the outside. One of the modern technologies, 3D conformal therapy, directs energy beams in accordance with the contour of the tumor under the guidance of a CT scan.

Intensive simulated radiation (IMRT) also uses multiple beams, but the beams of radiation are concentrated in different segments, more accurately repeating the shape of the cancer. One IMRT beam can have from 10 to 30 separate segments with different radiation doses.

The new IMRT technology, volume modulated arc therapy (VMAT), is able to continuously change the location and dose of radiation segments during irradiation by rotating the machine around the patient. This allows radiation to be delivered to the tumor with unique precision.

Stereotactic radiation therapy is best suited for small tumors, usually inside the brain. During the procedure, the patient's head is fixed with an individual mesh to ensure immobility. In a short period of time, a high dose of radiation is concentrated in small segments under the guidance of an MRI scan. Another modern technology, imaging therapy (IGRT)– allows doctors to take MRI images during the procedure and observe how the tumor changes during the irradiation process.

Internal radiation therapy abroad

Foreign clinics provide two types of brachytherapy: low-dose and high-dose energy. In the first case, radioactive seeds are injected into the organ with the tumor, which are constantly there. The advanced brachytherapy technology uses high-dose radiation microspheres that are extracted after 20-30 minutes. Both methods work equally effectively.