What the Patient Needs to Know
Things to Know
- Irradiation by particle beam results in great therapy effects, minimizing
side effects. However, it does not eliminate the possibility of recurrences,
as with any other treatments.
- Particle beam radiation therapy is not appropriate for all cancers. Even
for a cancer for which particle beam therapy is normally applicable, this
therapy may be determined inappropriate.
- The patient should bring a Japanese interpreter throughout his therapy,starting
with his first visit.
- Treatment provided at Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center is limited to particle beam radiation therapy. We ask the patient's primary care physician to perform tests for cancer diagnosis and other examinations. In other words, particle beam radiation therapy is the medical care that we provide for the current illness, in collaboration with the primary care physician.
- Even if all conditions meet the requirements for particle beam radiation
therapy, there are cases in which we cannot perform the therapy (for technical
reasons, etc.).
General Conditions
- The patient's whole body must be able to receive the therapy. Please ask the primary care physician about this requirement.
- The patient must be able to lie still (or sit still) for approximately 30 minutes. This ability is necessary for each therapy session.
Indications
The indications considered as currently treatable cancers are:
- Head and neck tumor (cancer in the otological, oral and maxillofacial
areas, excluding cancer in the larynx and hypopharynx)
- Skull base tumor (chordoma, sarcoma, meningioma)
- Lung cancer (non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic lung cancer)
- Mediastinal tumor
- Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic liver cancer)
- Pancreatic cancer (preoperative irradiation before pancreatic resection,
or irradiation with use of Gemcitabine if the cancer is unresectable)
- Kidney cancer (only if other definitive treatments are not possible)
- Prostate cancer
- Rectal cancer postoperative local recurrence
- Vaginal cancer (only if other definitive treatments are not possible)
- Bone and soft tissue tumor
- Solitary metastatic tumor
- Other localized tumor
Steps toward Particle Beam Radiation Therapy
- Please give the following three forms to your primary care physician and
discuss them thoroughly: "Request to the Primary Care Physician,"
"Particle Beam Radiation Therapy Referral Fax Form (1)," and
"Particle Beam Radiation Therapy Referral Fax Form (2)."
- You will need to have undergone the tests which are necessary in determining
if particle beam radiation therapy is applicable.
- Your primary care physician will fax two forms, "Referral Fax Form
(1)" and "Referral Fax Form (2)," to us at Hyogo Ion Beam
Medical Center. These forms will serve as a request for an outpatient appointment.
- We will reply to your primary care physician by fax. Our reply will contain
information regarding your acceptance for particle beam radiation therapy,
the appointment date and time, and the outpatient doctor who will examine
you. Please wait until your primary care physician contacts you.
- Please come to the designated particle beam outpatient reception area with
your insurance card, referral, test results, films of the tests that are
checked on the required test list, prepared slides of the pathological
specimens, etc.
- If the results of the outpatient examination confirm that the particle
beam radiation therapy is applicable, the date of your admission to Hyogo
Ion Beam Medical Center will be determined. (In some cases, the therapy
can be administered during regular outpatient visits if conditions are
met.)
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