The National Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy Centre (NNMRC) of the Hospital has begun the treatment of prostate cancers with a new intervention called Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT).
Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that uses computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumor or specific areas within the tumor.
IMRT allows for the radiation dose to conform more precisely to the 3-D shape of the tumor by modulating or controlling the intensity of the radiation beam in multiple small volumes.
Speaking to the Head of the Centre, Dr Joel Yarney, he said the Centre had within the past two weeks treated and discharged three patients who had prostate cancers.
Dr Yarney said the new radiation therapy reduces the side effects of radiation to the patient, adding that “it helps us to adjust the radiation beam to the contours of the cancer, allowing for higher, more effective doses of radiation to be delivered while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue”.
Dr. Yarney disclosed that the new radiation therapy can be used in the treatment of cancers and tumours including brain tumours, breast, lung, head & neck, prostate and gynecological cancers.
He said, other than robust surgery, the Centre has all that it needs to manage prostate cancer in Ghana, adding that “there is no need for anyone to travel outside Ghana to treat prostate cancer”.
Stock Capacity
Dr. Yarney noted that the new treatment facility is equipped with a Computed Tomography (CT) Scan machine to do imaging and enable the Centre do a more localized treatment.
The Centre, he said, also has a new linear accelerator. He said, currently, it is the only Radiotherapy Centre that has the ability to treat prostate cancer with radiation therapy in Ghana.
Dr. Yarney attributed this achievement to the highly- skilled manpower oncologists, medical officers and radiation therapy technologists the Centre boasts of. Treatment of Prostate Cancer The Head of the Centre stated that the curative treatments for prostate cancer includes radical prostatectomy, brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy, which can all be done in Ghana.
He said Korle Bu started brachytherapy in 2010 and has since treated over 200 patients, with results comparable to any in the advanced world.
He said the new radiation therapy technique is an addition to the three curative treatments, however, “the new technique affords us the ability to limit the radiation to the prostate alone, with very little radiation received by the surrounding organs”.
Procedure
IMRT typically is administered five days a week for five to eight weeks. At each session, the patient spends between 15 to 30 minutes at the treatment room. Small amounts of radiation is given on a daily basis, rather than a few large doses which helps to reduce damage to body tissues surrounding the tumor. Weekend rest breaks allow normal cells to recover.
The total dose of radiation and number of treatments a patient receives depends on the size, location and type of tumor, the patient’s general health and other factors.
The first IMRT session tends to be longer than others so that additional X-ray films and checks can be taken. Before treatment begins, colored semi-permanent ink may be used to mark the patient’s skin to indicate the alignment of the radiation equipment with the targeted area. In the treatment room, the radiation therapist uses the marks to locate the treatment area.
For the beginning of the procedure, the patient is positioned on a treatment table, sometimes, specially molded devices are used to help with positioning. The machine, controlled from a nearby area, is then activated. The patient is monitored on a screen or through a window in the control room and the radiation therapist talks to the patient through an intercom when there is the need.
IMRT is a painless, non-invasive therapy, during which patients don’t hear, see or feel the radiation. If the patient becomes uncomfortable during the procedure, the machine can be stopped at any time.
