Radiation Oncology is a well equipped department. It became functional when Cobalt 60 teletherapy unit was installed. This is the latest version of cobalt unit - Theratron 780E, which was imported from Canada. It has the facilities which allow doctors to deliver all the possible permutations and combinations in photon teletherapy. Arc therapy and head swivel facilities are providing a wider choice to the clinician to customize the treatment plan for each individual patient. The treatment time of each patient varies from single day to even seven weeks, depending upon many factors related to the stage and nature of disease and general condition of the patient

Radiation therapy treats nearly 70 % of all cancer patients, with the aim to either cure them or provide relief from distressing symptoms during terminal illness. Radiotherapy, similar to surgery, can cure more than 80% of patients with early stage cancer (Stage I and II), but, while surgery entails partial or total sacrifice of the involved organs e.g. tongue, breast, lung etc., Radiotherapy also allows their preservation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Radiotherapy can be administered externally i.e. Teletherapy, as well as internally, which is called Brachytherapy. Teletherapy is delivered either with the traditional Cobalt Therapy or with a Linear Accelerator; this allows more wide access to deep seated tumours and those closer to sensitive structures. Linear Accelerators are also capable of incorporating new techniques like IMRT, IGRT etc., that basically help to focus majority of the radiation into the tumour volume with much greater precision than Cobalt beams, thus minimizing radiation fallout to uninvolved tissues in the vicinity. Brachytherapy involves the placement of certain radioactive substances into the tumour bed to focus the dose of radiation precisely, and the High Dose Rate (HDR) technique helps to achieve it within few minutes itself, which is more convenience for a patient. All the above modalities are available in our Hospital. Annually we cater to the needs of about 1500 cases. This impressive record has also helped the department to gain accreditation of the National Board of Examinations for granting the DNB degree in radiotherapy.
Teletherapy has been found to be effective in treating nearly all kinds of malignancies. It is generally used as a part of the complete treatment in conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy or Brachytherapy in a curative setting. But radiation therapy provides excellent palliation when used alone.
An intensive and meticulous treatment planning is needed before treating any patient with either teletherapy or Brachytherapy. This is accomplished at our institute by an ultramodern sophisticated 3-D treatment planning system. This is a fully computerized system which enables the selection of optimum treatment plan for the patients. Best effort is made by the team of radiation oncologist and medical physicist in order to design an accurate individualized plan of the treatment planning system. The mould room is an integral and indispensable part of the department. It is equipped with Styrofoam customized beam shaping lead blocks for sparing the normal tissues immobilization casts and moulds, mouth bites, wax bolus etc. routinely for all our patients. These help in better and accurate treatment delivery.
Sophisticated treatment was made possible only with the help of an ultramodern micros-electron high dose rate. It is very effective in delivering “boost” radiation in curative doses and achieves excellent palliation in advanced malignancies.
After having given to Rajasthan its first Linear Accelerator, the Hospital has come under the obligation to provide the latest technology in radiotherapy. Although the management has felt the need to invest in a second Linear Accelerator for a long time, the project remains stalled because of its highly capital-intensive nature and the fact that the Institution runs on a ‘No-Profit’ basis.