REPORT ON POLISH ONCOLOGICAL RADIOTHERAPY

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The Amethyst Radiotherapy Center in Krakow is the largest – in terms of the number of treated patients – radiotherapy center in Małopolska. The report prepared by a national consultant in the field of oncological radiation therapy also shows that in terms of the number of inhabitants per accelerator, the Lesser Poland Voivodeship ranks 8th, and per one brachytherapy device - 5th.

"Report on the state of radiotherapy in Poland as of December 31.12.2016, XNUMX" contains detailed data on radiotherapy facilities, staff and equipment nationwide and by voivodeship. It allows you to assess current activities carried out in this field of medicine and rationally plan further activities in the coming years.

The study shows that the number of people per one radiotherapy accelerator has decreased by more than one third: in 2009, it was over 385. Poles, in 2016 – about 245 thousand. people. In Małopolska this ratio is even better, over 40%. Currently, there are 14 accelerators operating in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, and the leading ones include the Oncology Center of the Institute. M. Skłodowska-Curie (four devices) and the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center in Krakow and the Radiotherapy Department in Tarnów (three devices each). In terms of the number of patients treated, the first place is taken by the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center. In 2016, 2411 patients were treated there, and the staff also provided over 9 radiotherapy consultations.

START OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE SECOND RADIOTHERAPY CENTER

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The Amethyst chain will open another branch in Poland. It will be created in close cooperation with the Multispecialty Hospital in Zgorzelec.

It is one of the most dynamically developing hospital facilities in Lower Silesia. It runs oncological surgery, clinical oncology and chemotherapy departments and has full diagnostic facilities. Hospital primary health care clinics provide an oncology package for 400 people. inhabitants. To provide comprehensive, full-profile oncological treatment, the hospital needs the last link - radiotherapy.

The launch of the Radiotherapy Center in Zgorzelec is of great importance for the residents of Zgorzelec, Bogatynia, Zawidów, Nowogrodziec and Węgliniec, who will have access to full oncological therapy on site. Research shows that traveling to radiotherapy for more than 45 minutes is a common reason for patients to refrain from undergoing treatment.

Amethyst began construction on June 20, 2016. The facility is being constructed entirely as new. The opening is planned for the second and third quarter of 2017.

STABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMETHYST RADIOTHERAPY CENTER

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The Krakow Amethyst Radiotherapy Center celebrates its fourth anniversary. The center already has a stable position in the entire region, closely cooperating with the Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygier. The number of people treated and the number of irradiation techniques used increases every year - from the opening to the end of November this year. received over 7,7 thousand patients.

The number of patients undergoing radiotherapy is systematically increasing - from January to the end of November this year. it passed her 2373 patients, while in the entire last year it was 2411 people. Compared to the data from the first year of operation, the Krakow center currently treats almost 2,5 times more people than in 2014.

Comparing the number of radical treatment procedures according to the technology used, an increase can be seen in 2017 specialized radiotherapeutic techniques such as IMRT, VMAT and brachytherapy. From January to November this year. such patients were 160 (IMRT), 978 (VMAT) and 332 (brachytherapy). Comparing data from 11 months in 2016 and 2017, this increase is 22, 19 and 31%, respectively.

In radical treatment aimed at permanent recovery of the patient, the VMAT technique, i.e. Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy, still constitutes the vast majority (40 proc. this year). It allows for precise administration of optimal therapeutic doses and, above all, shortening the duration of irradiation compared to other available methods. Throughout 2016, 890 patients underwent such treatment at the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center, this year it is already 978 people. The next places are brachytherapy (14% this year) and IMRT (6%).

ANOTHER AGREEMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RADIOTHERAPY CENTER

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Representatives of the Radiology Therapeutic Center Poland and the Multi-Specialized SPZOZ Hospital in Zgorzelec signed in June this year. cooperation agreement.

It concerns the lease of land and the construction of a modern cancer treatment center in this area. The RTCP company will run a radiotherapy center for the inhabitants of the district and surrounding areas - in cooperation with a medical facility in Zgorzelec and under the contract concluded by the hospital with the National Health Fund. Thanks to this investment, the hospital will be able to provide full-profile, comprehensive oncological treatment.

Annually, over 450 new cases of malignant tumors are diagnosed at the Multi-Specialized SPZOZ Hospital in Zgorzelec, and over 1470 consultations are provided at the oncology clinic operating here - this is an increase by 12% compared to the previous year. The launch of a radiotherapy center would also enable help for patients from the south-western part of the Lubusz Voivodeship (the area of ​​Żary, Żagań, Nowa Sól). According to the data of the provincial cancer registry, over 900 new cases are recorded here every year.

The radiotherapy center in Zgorzelec will be another radiotherapy center built and operated by a company belonging to the international medical holding Amethyst Radiotherapy - at the Krakow Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygier, a modern Amethyst Radiotherapy Center is already operational. The estimated value of the investment is PLN 60 million and will be fully covered by RTCP.

CENTER DIRECTOR IN THE DOCTOR OF MAŁOPOLSKA 2015 PLEBISCITE

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Marcin Hetnał, director of the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center, is one of the candidates for the award in the "Lekarz Małopolski 2015" plebiscite organized by Gazeta Krakowska.

The newspaper encourages people to vote and jointly choose winners in Małopolska in five basic categories:

  • primary care doctor,
  • medical specialist,
  • dentist,
  • clinic,
  • hospital.

The registered specialists include Marcin Hetnał, director of the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center and head of the Radiotherapy Department of the Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygier in Krakow. To vote for him, just click on the one provided link and follow the prepared instructions. Voting lasts until August 28 this year.

THREE YEARS HAVE BEEN USED

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Over 5 thousand patients who completed treatment, 12 thousand medical advice provided - the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center summarizes its three-year anniversary of operation.

When the Krakow facility was opened in December 2013, the waiting time for cancer patients for treatment was half a year. Thanks to close cooperation between specialists from the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center and doctors from the Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygiera, one of the largest full-profile oncology centers in Małopolska was established, guaranteeing diagnostics and full oncological combined treatment, and the waiting time for treatment was shortened to two weeks. Patients come here from over 40 facilities from all over the region and beyond - only 11 of them are in Krakow. Currently, it is also the only private center offering postgraduate training for doctors.

The Krakow Amethyst Radiotherapy Center has become an important point on the medical map of Małopolska. Advanced treatment technologies are used here: VMAT/IMRT, 3D techniques, stereotaxy and brachytherapy. The number of patients undergoing treatment at the Center is growing every year - in the first year of the center's operation it was 1050 people, while this year it is expected to be over 2300 patients, i.e. twice as many. The facility is also highly rated by patients and their families - as many as 99%. patients rated the work of doctors and technicians as good and very good.

Three years of operation of the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center in a nutshell:

  • 5100 treated patients
  • 12 thousand medical advice provided at the Center and 19 thousand advice at the radiotherapy clinic operating at the Specialist Hospital. Rydygiera
  • 2500 psycho-oncologist's advice
  • 1500 dietitian consultation
  • 3500 dinners for patients provided over the last six months (since the entry into force of the patient nutrition monitoring program)
  • 98,9% - operation time of three Synergy accelerators uninterrupted by a failure

AMETHYST RADIOTHERAPY CENTER WITH MEDICAL SPECIALIZATION

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Krakow Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygiera, together with the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center, obtained the authorization to provide medical specialization in oncological radiotherapy and was entered on the official list of the Minister of Health.

This is the third such center in Małopolska - 5 people will be able to undergo specialization training here at the same time. In the case of oncological radiotherapy, there are currently 30 such centers throughout Poland, but only half of the voivodeships have at least two such points.
Małopolska currently boasts three centers with such authorizations: Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygier with the Radiotherapy Department and the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center joined the Krakow branch of the Oncology Center of the Institute. M. Skłodowska-Curie and the Provincial Hospital. Saint Łukasz in Tarnów.

In total, 30 training places for specialization in oncological radiation therapy are planned in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, and every sixth person will specialize in specialization at the Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygier.

DEBATE IN RYDYGIER

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Specialist Hospital named after Rydygiera opened a computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging laboratory. Marcin Hetnał, head of the hospital's Radiotherapy Department and director of the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center, participated in the medical debate accompanying the opening.

In the ceremony organized on June 29 this year. participated not only by hospital employees and management, but also by representatives of city and provincial authorities and local media. The symbolic ribbon cutting was preceded by a debate on the development of patient care based on modern technologies, led by Witold Laskowski, deputy editor-in-chief of the Medexpress portal. The participants included, among others: provincial consultants: prof. Ph.D. med. Andrzej Urbanik (in the field of radiology and imaging diagnostics) and prof. Ph.D. Leszek Kołodziejski, MD (in the field of oncological surgery), and Marcin Hetnał, MD, PhD, head of the Radiotherapy Department of the Hospital. L. Rydygiera in Krakow and director of the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center.

START OF CONSTRUCTION OF A RADIOTHERAPY CENTER IN VIENNA

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On Monday, May 8, 2017, the first groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the new Amethyst Radiotherapy center in Austria took place.

The first private radiotherapy center in Austria is being built in its capital, next to the Wiener Privatklinik at Pelikangasse 15. As part of the project, a building will be built next to the existing clinic, which will house two modern, high-performance linear accelerators for radiation. According to plans, the center will admit its first patients at the end of 2017.

– Radiotherapy is one of the most important methods of treating cancer. Unfortunately, until now in Austria, especially in the capital region, there was a big problem with access to it. The main reason was the shortage of specialized equipment, patients had to wait a long time for radiation treatments, says Dr. Paul Stuchetz, president of Amethyst Österreich, which is part of the Amethyst Radiotherapy medical group. – Thanks to the launch of new linear accelerators by Amethyst, the treatment options for cancer patients will significantly increase.

The cost of the investment carried out in Vienna is nearly EUR 10 million.

Amethyst Radiotherapy network centers already operate in France, Romania and Poland.

FIRST PROSTATE BRACHYTHERAPY TREATMENT

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The first brachytherapy treatment for prostate cancer was performed at the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center in Krakow. This innovative use of irradiation allows patients to avoid surgery and gives them a good chance of recovery.

The first procedure was performed on September 6, 2016. The patient who underwent prostate brachytherapy at the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center was 65 years old. The procedure was performed under spinal anesthesia. The patient received one fraction of radiation. Brachytherapy will be supplemented with teleradiotherapy using arc techniques.

Brachytherapy for prostate cancer involves temporarily placing a radioactive element within this organ. The precision of the procedure is extremely important here, as it allows the protection of organs critical to the functioning of the body - the urethra, bladder and rectum.

In the urology department of the Specialist Hospital. L. Rydygier in Krakow, approximately 70 prostate removal operations are performed annually. At the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center, patients with prostate cancer undergo classic radiotherapy, which can be a complementary method to surgery or constitute an independent therapy. So far, classic radiotherapy in the treatment of prostate cancer (in which the source of radiation is located some distance from the patient) has been used in 581 patients.

Globally, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer. It is estimated that 899 people are diagnosed with it annually. men in the world, and the number of deaths reaches 258 thousand. cases. In Poland, prostate cancer accounts for 15%. cancer incidence in men. In 2013, over 12 cases were recorded throughout the country. cases (data from the National Cancer Registry). Over the last three decades, the number of cases has increased fivefold.