The radiotherapy department of Omid Hospital has become the most equipped radiotherapy treatment center in the northwest of the country due to the presence of skilled physicians and the most advanced radiotherapy devices.
This center began its activities in 1997 with the installation of a cobalt-60 machine. In 1999, a second radiotherapy device was purchased and installed, and it provided services to patients using the Two-Dimensional method until 2010.
In 2010, through the efforts of the province’s benefactors, the first linear accelerator device in the northwest of the country, the Primus model from Siemens Germany, was purchased and installed.
In 2023, after two old radiotherapy devices at Omid Clinic were retired from service following the treatment of hundreds of cancer patients, a public campaign was launched to purchase new radiotherapy devices, and a new linear accelerator equipped with the world’s most advanced IMRT treatment method was installed and commissioned at the Omid Treatment Center.
Specifications and advantages of using Omid radiotherapy devices
The linear accelerator is the most advanced method for treating cancerous tumors in the world. In this device, electron particles within a strong magnetic field are used to produce ionization (including gamma rays and electrons). This device can generate different energies with varying penetration power in the body, which is used for treating tumors of different depths (from superficial tumors such as skin tumors to deep-seated tumors).
The Siemens Precise linear accelerator at Omid Center, equipped with photon energies of 6 and 15 MV, and electrons of 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14 MeV, plays a very effective role in improving the quality of radiotherapy treatment. Moreover, the Omid accelerator department, equipped with appropriate computer software (core plan) and accessories for fixation, molding, etc., enables the use of CT scan and MRI images for reconstruction and three-dimensional treatment, which increases the therapeutic effect of radiation on the tumor and reduces damage to healthy tissues.
Radiation in the brachytherapy method, unlike treatment with a cobalt machine or accelerator where radiation is delivered from outside the body surface to the tumor, is administered internally via relevant equipment placed right next to the tumor. In this way, a high dose of radiation is delivered to the tumor site. Thus, without the surrounding normal tissues receiving a high dose, a large amount of radiation is delivered to the tumor site. Intracavitary brachytherapy equipment is mostly used for treating cervical tumors.
The Synergy device, manufactured by Elekta of England (a high-energy linear accelerator), offers a far more effective treatment method with photon and electron energies. Very few side effects, high speed, and great precision are among the benefits of using this device and advanced treatment techniques IMRT and VMAT. Omid doctors use this device to treat the cancerous tumors of 60 patients daily.
