Ion beam therapy is a form of radiation therapy used to treat cancer. Protons or carbon ions are used – both are charged, massive particles.
The treatment process
Our approach to treatment planning is as individual as our patients’ medical histories.
No two therapy processes are the same. Nevertheless, there are some parameters that characterize each treatment in order to ensure the greatest possible precision and safety for our patients.
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Patient information
At the beginning of your treatment, you will be invited to a medical consultation, where your doctor will give you information on your tumor disease and take time to answer your questions about effect and possible side effects of the ion beam therapy as well as the treatment process.
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Preparations
Once all the details have been clarified and you have given your consent to the treatment, some preparations are necessary first. Individual positioning aids are made for you, for example thermoplastic masks or positioning mattresses. This is necessary so that you can be irradiated with high precision and the healthy tissue remains optimally spared. These aids ensure that you are in the exact same position for each treatment.
3
CT examination
We then perform a CT scan. By means of these CT images, an individual irradiation plan will be created for you. Before starting the treatment, the parameters are precisely calculated, how the tumor can best be irradiated with optimal protection of the surrounding healthy tissue at the same time.
4
Treatment sessions
During your actual treatment, you will come to MedAustron for a daily irradiation session. It individually depends on your tumor disease, how many sessions will be required. The tumor will be irradiated with small single doses per fraction until the calculated total dose is reached, which can destroy the tumor.
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Painless irradiation
The actual irradiation itself is completely painless. The ion beam scans the tumor layer by layer and applies the previously calculated dose at each point of the tumor.
About the therapy center
The MedAustron therapy center
High-tech equipment and a pleasant atmosphere do not have to be a contradiction: in our building, light-flooded waiting areas and warm wood all the way into the treatment rooms create a comfortable ambience.
In the radiation rooms we adapt light color and music to the individual wishes of our patients. Safety is ensured by the robot-controlled couch in the treatment room, on which the patient is always in the correct position with millimeter precision during irradiation. Above all, however, there is the individual care provided by our entire team, who is always open to listen to our patients’ questions and concerns.
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More information about our medical team
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Please contact us
Do you have any questions about ion beam therapy or MedAustron?
Do you have any questions about the therapy or procedure? Whatever you want to know, do not hesitate to contact us. We will get back to you within two business days.
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Here you will find answers
Frequently asked questions
About ion beam therapy
What is ion beam or particle therapy?
How are the particles generated?
Is ion beam therapy suitable for every type of cancer?
Protons are obtained from hydrogen gas H2, carbon ions from carbon dioxide CO2. The physical properties of protons and carbon ions are similar, but carbon ions have a much higher, so-called “biological effectiveness”.
Compared to conventional radiotherapy with photons, particle therapy is able to reduce the radiation exposure of the adjacent healthy tissue and almost completely spare the tissue behind the tumour. Therefore, particle therapy is an ideal treatment for localized tumours in the vicinity of radiosensitive organs. Since strongly growing tissue reacts more sensitively to radiation, proton therapy is particularly suitable for cancer in children and adolescents.