Radiation Therapy (Oncology)
We
are part of the Regional Cancer Centre located in the Lomas building at
Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand. We are a multidisciplinary
team comprising of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation
therapists, oncology nurses, clinical trials and associated support
staff.
The department services a wide geographical area
through the use of peripheral clinics covering, the greater Waikato
District, Bay of Plenty and Lakeland with a population of approximately
800,000. In 2010 Radiation Oncology saw 1600 new cancer patients, 1730
patients received a course of radiation therapy (new or retreat) and we
delivered 25,500 radiation treatment fractions.
In addition to
providing radiation therapy services to this population we have a
comprehensive HDR Brachytherapy programme, advanced techniques
incorporating Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), RapidArc and a strong involvement in clinical trials and
research. Our inpatient services are provided through Ward 25 at Waikato Hospital which has a capacity of 30 beds, including a bone marrow transplant suite.
We offer comprehensive multi-disciplinary cancer care in the following disease sites:
- breast
- lymphoma
- gastrointestinal
- endocrine
- genitourinary
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- head and neck
- lung
- central nervous system
- gynaecological
- skin.
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Contact details
Radiation Oncology Reception
Level 01 Lomas Building
Telephone: (07) 839 8604
Facsimile (07) 839 8878
Hours: 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday |
Radiation Therapy Booking Clerk
Level 1 Lomas Building
Telephone: (07) 839 8806
Facsimile: (07) 839 8628
Hours: 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday |
Radiation Therapy contacts
Consultant radiation oncologists
Should you wish to discuss a specific patient related question please contact the Radiation Oncology reception who can contact the doctor concerned.
- Dr Leanne Tyrie, Clinical Director
- Dr Charles de Groot
- Dr Cristian Hartopeanu
- Dr Glenys Round
- Dr Ziad Thotahil
- Dr Michael Tills
- Dr Hermann Van der Vyver
- Dr Matthew Seel
Who we are
 We have multidisciplinary specialists in the following areas:
Radiation Oncology
- Eight radiation oncology consultants
- Four radiation oncology registrars
Medical Physics
- Seven medical physicists
- Two medical physics registrars
Radiation Therapy
- 36 radiation therapists
- radiation therapy students
Oncology Nurses
- Seven outpatient nurses
- clinical nurse specialists for colorectal, gynaecological, breast and lung cancers and adolescents.
- 31 FTE inpatient nurses
Clinical Trials
- Six clinical trials nurses
Our equipment
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- Two Varian Linear Accelerators with MLC, EPI and CBCT
- Two Varian Linear Accelerators with MLC and EPI
- Eclipse Treatment Planning System
- Varian Acuity Simulator
- Dedicated Toshiba Aquilion Wide Bore CT scanner
- GammaMed HDR Brachytherapy Unit
- RapidArc Planning
- Helios IMRT Planning System
- RadCalc Computerised dose check
- Aquaplast thermoplastic immobilisation devices
- Superficial X-ray Unit
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Our specialised radiation therapy services
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HDR Brachytherapy
- Single Iridium 192 source with up to 24 channels can be selected
- Intracavity, interstitial, or intraluminal capabilities
- Dedicated theatre located within oncology building
- Treatment sites include: gynaecological, prostate, head and neck, lung, oesophagus and skin
- Accepts referrals from other DHBs for sites requiring this specialist treatment
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Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
- Allows the delivery of higher radiation doses with minimum dose to normal tissue by matching radiation to the size and shape of the patients tumour
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RapidArc
- RapidArc is the latest radiation therapy technology that improves dose
conformity while shortening treatment times. RapidArc is a volumetric
arc therapy that delivers a precisely sculpted 3D dose distribution with
a single or multiple 360-degree rotation of the linear accelerator
gantry around the patient.
It is made possible by a treatment planning algorithm that
simultaneously changes three parameters during treatment: the rotation
speed of the gantry, the shape of the treatment aperture using the
movement of multileaf collimator leaves, and the delivery dose rate.
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Image Guided Radiation Therapy
- is the process of frequent two and three-dimensional imaging, during a course of radiation treatment, used to direct radiation therapy utilizing the imaging coordinates of the actual radiation treatment plan
- The goal of the IGRT process is to improve the accuracy of the radiation field placement, and to reduce the exposure of healthy tissue during radiation treatments
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Real-time Position Management™ (RPM) Respiratory Gating
- The RPM system allows correlation of the tumour position in relation to the patient's respiratory cycle.
- The system is a non-invasive, video-based system that allows for clean imaging and treatment of lung, breast, and upper abdominal sites.
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Cone Beam Computerized Tomography
- Allows a CT to be taken on the linear accelerator using the kV On Board Imager (OBI)
- The treatment CT is compared to the planning CT, internal organ position is matched and the treatment position is adjusted accordingly prior to treatment being given.
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Radio-isotope Laboratory
- A variety of procedures are performed in the Hot Lab, with radioactive iodine administration occurring most frequently.
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Total Body Electrons
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Lymphoedema nursing services
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Clinical trials
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