NCCS has the largest radiotherapy facility in Singapore and also serves as a referral centre for the East Asia region. It provides an integrated approach to all oncological problems with an emphasis on multidisciplinary care and tumour site specialisation.
Treating Cancer with Radiation Therapy
The Department of Radiation Oncology is the largest of four radiotherapy facilities in Singapore, with our specialists seeing 3,000 new cases a year. It has transformed from its basic service origins into a high technology radiation oncology centre of international calibre. It serves as a referral centre not only for Singapore, but also for the East Asian region. It has also become a regional centre for training both medical doctors and radiation physicists for this region.
The department seeks to provide an integrated and thoughtful approach to all oncological problems with an emphasis on multidisciplinary care and tumour site specialisation. It manages the full spectrum of malignancies:
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Adult and paediatric |
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Solid and haematological |
Radiation Therapy
How Radiation Therapy Works
Radiation therapy uses high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing or spreading. Radiation is delivered only to a localised region. Although it can affect both cancer cells and normal cells, radiation treatment attempts to destroy more cancer cells and spare as many normal cells as possible.
Customising Radiation Therapy
Radiation treatment is usually given on an outpatient basis, 5 days a week, for several weeks depending on the type of cancer. Each treatment course is customised to ensure that radiation (is specific for each individual patient to optimise treatment of ) the cancer while avoiding or minimising damage to the surrounding (normal) tissues.
Radiation Therapy can be administered by:
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External Beam Therapy where radiation (from an external source) is directed from the treatment machine to a particular area of your body |
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Internal Radiation Therapy (Brachytherapy) where a small radioactive material is placed inside your body exactly or close to where the cancer is. |
More information can be found in the ‘Understanding Radiation Therapy’ Booklet.
Advances in Treatment
IMRT
This is a specialised type of 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy that focuses multiple radiation beams on the tumor. Beam intensities vary, so that the highest possible doses can be used to destroy cancerous tissue with sparing of normal structures. Proper positioning of the patient is crucial to the success of IMRT. Imaging of the target volume involves using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as well as Computed Tomography (CT) scanning and radiation oncologists use special planning software to determine the most accurate treatment. By these means the patients may have a higher chance of cure with a lower risk of side effects from the radiation treatment.
Being well equipped with the latest treatment machines and simulators, the department is capable of providing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), stereotactic radiosurgery and high dose-rate brachytherapy. In another step forward, IMRT has been used to treat 112 nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients. IMRT improves (the delivery of external beam radiation therapy and has been shown to also improve) the quality of life of patients by reducing the xerostomia (dryness of the mouth) rate. The use of this advanced equipment has also shown a local control and survival advantage.
More News
IGRT For Enhanced Cancer Treatment
The National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), equipped with the most up-to-date and advanced technology in Radiation Oncology has raised standard of cancer treatment with the application of Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) to advanced dose delivery techniques like IMRT and/or with Respiratory Gating. IGRT enables use of sophisticated imaging techniques integrated with the Linear Accelerators systems to significantly increase dose delivery accuracy to the cancer target for improved cancer control and correspondingly minimise dose to critical organs and normal tissues. The newest LINACs with IGRT capability are the Varian Trilogy system and the Novalis BrainLAB Stereotactic Radiosurgery system.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
This is used to treat brain tumors and other intracranial cancers. It involves a single, high-dose application of radiation to the tumor, rather than many smaller doses given in standard radiation treatment. Several radiation beams are precisely aimed (from various directions) to converge upon a small tumor.
High Dose Rate Brachytherapy
This is used for treating gynaecological cancers, head and neck, lung and breast cancers. Brachytherapy involves inserting suitable radioactive (e.g. iridium) sources into body cavities to (evenly) selectively irradiate surrounding tumour with the rapid radiation fall off allowing sparing of underlying normal tissue. The radioactive sources remain in the body for a (few) minutes or so at any one time. It is a useful adjunct to external beam treatments or can be used as primary treatment for selected tumours.
FAQs
| 1. Are there long-term effects after radiotherapy? |
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Long-term side effects are not common. However, in some situations there may be a possibility of some long-term effects with radiation therapy. Talk with your doctor as each person’s reaction to treatment is different. |
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| 2. Will I be radioactive after treatment? |
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You will not become radioactive after treatment. Once the external beam therapy is stopped, no more radiation will be in your body. You are free to be with friends and family, even children. Similarly, during internal radiation therapy, you will be treated in a special room. Once the radioactive material is removed, there is no radiation in your body and you will not be a danger to anyone. |
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| 3. Can I continue to take other medications while I am on radiation therapy? |
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If you are on regular medication e.g. steroids, anti-hypertensives, medication for fits or convulsions or any other medicine, ensure you let your doctor know the type of drugs you are taking. Your doctor can then tell you whether to continue with the medication, reduce the dose or when to stop them. Discuss with your doctor if you are unsure or have side effects from the drugs. |
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Do not use any medicine or home remedies without your doctor’s approval.
Always ask your radiation therapist or your doctor if you are not sure. |
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