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Director: Prof. FILIPPO ALONGI

 

Interview Rai Uno – TG1 Mattina (Italian State Television)

Artificial Intelligence at the service of Radiotherapy with Ethos – Interview to Professor Alongi

Interview on innovative hybrid equipment MR-Linac UNITY Elekta, first in Italy and Southern Europe

Interview to Professor Alongi on precision Radiotherapy

Interview to Professor Alongi and presentation of Radiation Oncology

Encephalic metastasis: the Sacro Cuore Hospital first in the world to use a new radiosurgery procedure (video-interview to Professor Alongi)

Interview to Professor Alongi on Unomattina (Rai Uno – Italian State Television)

Interview on Unity Electa (English) (Italian)

 

 

LOCATION:

The Advanced Radiation Oncology Department is located at the Sacro Cuore building, first floor new wing Entrance G Via Don Sempreboni 5, Negrar di Valpolicella (VR)

CONTACTS, INFORMATION/EXAMINATION BOOKING:

– tel: +39.0456014800, Monday- Friday 9.00am-3.00pm
– fax: +39.0456014801
– email: servizio.radioterapia@sacrocuore.it

FACILITY

The Advanced Radiation Oncology (ARO) of IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore – Don Calabria is a Department consisting of radio-oncologists, health physics, technical (Medical Radiology Health Technicians), nursing and administrative personnel, directed by Professor Filippo Alongi, Associate Professor of Radiotherapy for MED 36 sector of Università degli Studi of Brescia.

The Advanced Radiation Oncology (ARO) Department is affiliated with Radiotherapy Postgraduate School of Università degli Studi of Brescia, hosting by frequency or in agreement specializing physicians from other Postgraduate Schools (as Università degli Studi of Palermo or Università degli Studi of Padua) for specialist and educational training. The ARO offers patient a complete approach to cancer disease by diagnostic context (cancer staging), consultation and care to patients with oncology clinical problems for which exclusive radiation therapy combined with surgery or integrated at antitumor pharmacological treatments are required. The ARO provides some of the most advanced radiotherapy services thanks to the most Radiotherapy state-of-the-art innovative equipment:

–TrueBeamTM Varian, v. 2.0 Perfect Pitch set up with CalypsoTM system, Exac trac BrainLabTM, CatalystTM e HyperArcTM

–TrilogyTM Varian set up with CatalystTM system

–TrilogyTM Varian set up with Exac trac Brain lab e CatalystTM system

The ARO Department is furthermore equipped with TC AS-Open 20 (Siemens®) dedicated to centering/simulation with procedure of movement control with respiration (SentinelTM), for precise definition of the target volume to treat.

A new system of guided radiotherapy from body surface (SGRT – Surface Guided Radiation Therapy) has been recently installed on all 3 linear accelerators and simulated Computed Tomography. This system:

· allows to carry out a high-precision simulated Computed Tomography (SentinelTM) in patients treatable with radiotherapy for left sided mammary neoplasms (breath hold treatment and respiratory gating) and lung neoplasms in initial and locally advanced stages (4D-TC and respiratory gating).

· allows an accurate procedure of alignment, verification and monitoring of patient’s correct positioning during every radiotherapy session (CatalystTM), aiming to reduce the uncertainty and imprecision.

In the procedures of tumor target simulation/centering the Advanced Radiation Oncology (ARO) Department in collaboration with IRCCS Nuclear Medicine uses specific PET (Positron Emission Tomography) tracers for cancer diseases (FDG, Choline, PSMA, Tyrosine, etc).

The ARO Department is furthermore equipped with the last updated software focused on:

· Simultaneous radiotherapy stereotactic treatment of multiple synchronous brain secondary localizations HyperArcTM

· Radiotherapy stereotactic treatment of vertebral secondary localizations with procedure ElementsTM Spine SRS.

· Optical tracking CatalystTM system able to show information to verify the correct positioning of patient, control the possible intrafraction movements and verify the movement with breath in patients with left sided mammary and lung neoplasms.

· CalypsoTM tracking system able to verify the correct positioning in abdomen and brain area during the radiotherapy treatment.

-UNITY ELEKTA MR-linac:

The IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital of Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona) is the first facility in Italy and Southern Europe to use Elekta Unity, an absolute innovation in the field of precision Oncologic Radiotherapy. The MR-Linac Elekta Unity system was created thanks to the planning of a state-of-the-art linear accelerator (Linac) integrated with high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1,5 Tesla -the same used by radiologists for diagnosis-).
This technological innovation allows the oncologic radiotherapist to control and correct in real time the position and features of tumor target to hit and sorrounding healthy tissues to protect (Adaptive radiation therapy), making radiotherapy highly personalized on the basis of position features and patient’s anatomy.

Currently this kind of equipment is dedicated to four situations complying with an observational study protocol (according to Veneto Region Cancer Network:
1. prostate cancer
2. pancreas cancer
3. patients with oligometastasis
4. retreatment

ACTIVITY AND PROVIDED SERVICES

The Sacro Cuore’s Oncologic Radiotherapy carries out:

  • diagnostic and preparatory examinations to radiation treatment (1° examination)
  • examinations during radiotherapy
  • diagnostic control examinations after treatment (follow up)
  • radiation therapy/oncologic specialized consultations
  • outpatient sessions of external radiotherapy for all neoplastic forms where the radiation treatment is indicated.

The patient is sent to the Department by treating or specialized physician or requests autonomously a consultation or a second advice. The radiation treatment is provided under outpatient system and on the basis of area and stage of disease can be performed with:

– a single session (Radiosurgery),

– few sessions (Hypofractionation precision or stereotactic radiotherapy)

– some weeks of treatment (treatment with  conventional fractionation . The Department of Advanced Radiation Oncology (ARO) IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore – Don Calabria carries out modulated and volumetric intensity (IMRT Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy/VMAT Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy procedure) and guided by images (IGRT Image-guided Radiation Therapy) treatments, precision radiotherapy in few fractions and ablative doses (SBRT procedure Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy). Every session is painless and lasts a few minutes thanks to innovative and precise procedure RAPIDARC ©(also with modality Flattering Filter Free – FFF).

Since 2019 is available a new linear accelerator with an integrated CT scan 1.5 T (1.5 MRI-Linac Elekta Unity®). This radiotherapy equipment guided by the CT scan 1.5 Tesla is the first of this kind in Italy, among the top 10 in the world.

INNOVATIVE RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENTS

The technological progress and scientific expertise of staff allow to carry out advanced and innovative radiotherapy treatments, present only in selected facilities:

–Stereotactic radiotherapy of Prostate in 5 sessions (compared to 35-40 sessions of conventional treatment) for patients at low or intermediate risk.

–Hypofractionated radiotherapy of Breast in 15 sessions (compared to 25-30 sessions of conventional treatment).

–Stereotactic lung ablative radiotherapy in 3-10 sessions for primary tumors in early stage and in oligometastatic patients.

–Stereotactic abdominal and pelvic lesions ablative radiotherapy in 3-6 sessions (inoperable pancreas cancer, liver and lymph nodes metastasis, etc)

– Stereotactic 1-5 brain secondary localizations ablative radiotherapy in 1-3 sessions – Stereotactic for 1-3 spinal column metastasis ablative radiotherapy in 1-3 sessions

RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

Professor Alongi teaches at the Medicine and Surgery Department of University of Brescia and the ARO Department  is seat affiliated with the Radiotherapy Postgraduate School, hosting by frequency or in agreement specializing physicians, technicians and nurses for tutoring and teaching from other seats, as University of Palermo and University of Padua.

In the Unit there are several ongoing clinical research studies on:

–outline of sessions reduction for prostate and breast carcinoma (hypofractionation)

– implementation of innovative procedures innovative as Radiosurgery and stereotactic brain, vertebral and body ablative radiotherapy (SBRT/SABR;SRS) in oligometastatic patients.

–diagnostic integration procedures for definition of treatment plan (PET/TC with FDG and choline, pelvic and head/neck Magnetic Resonance)

–precision and side effects minimization procedures (IMRT/VMAT RapidArc©)

Click here to view the publications of Professor Alongi and ARO Staff

Click here to watch the Service inauguration video