Introduction

Department of Radiation Oncology was founded in 1994 under the responsibility of Assist.Prof.Dr. Kayıhan ENGİN. Our department, which has been established with the most modern radiotherapy equipment of our day in our country with a linear accelerator, treatment simulator, mold system, computerized radiotherapy planning system, patient registration and validation program and brachytherapy system, started treatment on 25 October 1995.

 

As a modern radiotherapy center, our department managed to treat approximately 1250 new patients every year, not only meeting the need for radiation treatment in the region, but also organizing congresses and courses on oncology education. Uludağ Oncology Cooperation Association (ONKO-DAY), founded by Dr.Kayıhan Engin and his teammates in 1997 and first chaired, also provides information services to the people of Bursa.

 

Our department, which serves the South Marmara region, regularly renews its treatment devices in order to catch the modern age. In the light of scientific developments, an open path to innovations is followed and the number of patients treated has increased over the years. While treating our patients, their problems such as social, transportation and accommodation are taken into consideration. For this purpose, we are further expanding our understanding of treatment with ONKODAY.

 

Our Elekta and Artiste devices, which are capable of tuned arc radiotherapy, can control the tumor's location by performing tomography of the tumor prior to treatment with the possibility of advanced three-dimensional imaging. With this feature, treatment accuracy and tumor hitting efficiency to provide the highest level,and  healthy tissues to minimize the side effects that may occur. Therefore, the treatment device moves around the patient with different or multiple arc angles and carries out the treatment with high speed and sensitivity and takes the patient control to the highest level.

 

The Cyberknife M6 treatment device, taken in 2018, treats tumors using highly precise robot technology and produces different field sizes of radiation depending on the shape of the tumor with the linear accelerator placed on the robot. The robot has the ability to move on 6 different axes. For this reason, excellent dose distribution can be obtained by sending beam from many different points thanks to robotic arm in tumors which are close to critical organs. Even the smallest movements on the patient can be corrected by the system to reduce the accuracy of the current session during treatment.

 

One of the most important features of the Cyberknife M6 system is the ability to monitor respiration. Thoracic and abdominal tumors (eg: lungs, liver, pancreas, adrenal gland, etc.) act as a result of inhalation. It is very difficult to irradiate moving lesions. Therefore, special techniques are needed to monitor movement during treatment. The Cyberknife M6 treatment device displays the patient's external chest movement using a special apparatus and infrared camera placed on the patient's chest and can be followed by the internal movement of the tumor. Thus, during the robot treatment, the robot can breathe with the patient by copying the patient's breathing.

 

Brachytherapy is the placement of radioactive sources in or near the tumor. Depending on the type and location of cancer, during the brachytherapy, radioactive sources may be permanent and transient in place. The treatment plan for intracavitary, intraluminal and interstitial applications using the HDR Brachytherapy device is based on CT in 3 dimensions and is accepted in patients from external centers after EBRT.

 

In addition to these treatment models used in our center, total body irradiation (TBI) method is applied by conventional method in order to increase the destruction and transport success of tumor cells before allogenic bone marrow transplantation applied in pediatric and adult hematological malignancies.

 

The treatment planning systems used in our department use the Monte Carlo dose calculation algorithm, which is considered to be the best in terms of simulating the actual treatment conditions, and offers the realistic and most accurate dose distribution calculation possible. In addition, it is possible to plan specific therapies (3BKRT, IMRT, VMAT, ART, SRC, SBRT) as it is associated with high dose, sharpness and sensitivity of cancer cells considering healthy tissues. Tomography, PET-CT and PSMA PET images obtained before the treatment are combined with 3 and 4 dimensional planning images taken for radiotherapy planning and patient based treatment plans aiming maximum protection of healthy tissues are created while irradiating tumor tissues that need radiation.

 

From the first establishment to the present day, we aim to provide the highest quality service with the support of our physicians and department employees. In these days when we celebrate our 24th year, we are happy to serve you with our modern radiotherapy techniques.

 

Prof.Dr.Kayıhan ENGİN was retired in 2004 and Assoc. Prof. Lütfi ÖZKAN was appointed as the head of the department. Prof.Dr.Lütfi ÖZKAN was retired in 2015 and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel KAHRAMAN ÇETİNTAŞ became the Head of the Department. This responsibility has been carried out by Assoc.Prof.Dr.Meral KURT since the beginning of 2019. Radiotherapy Center, which will complete its 24th year, continues to offer a quality radiotherapy with 4 faculty members, 1 specialist physicist, 3 medical physicists, 3 oncology nurses, 16 radiotherapy technicians, 4 bureau staff and 2 assistant health personnel.

In our department, both medical specialization students and graduate students are educated.

 

Radiation Oncology Medical Specialization Program: Specialists in this program are trained in radiation physics, radiobiology and clinical oncology. At the end of the five-year education, the specialist is expected to have advanced knowledge of radiation and clinical oncology, knowledge of radiobiology and radiotherapy physics and be developed academically. So far 24 Radiation Oncology Specialists have graduated.

 

Radiotherapy Health Physics Master's Program: In this program, we graduate phycisicts students as medical radiophysics specialists who are aware of the fact that medical radiophysics is a conscious, careful, self-sacrificing and responsible profession. Graduate program in Physics, Physics Engineering department graduates can participate. So far 35 specialists in radiophysics have been trained.