Oncology at Koç University Hospital

Cancer treatment at Koç University Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, brings drug therapy, radiotherapy, tumour surgery and palliative care into one programme at a university hospital. According to the hospital, treatment plans are discussed at a tumour board, a meeting of doctors from different specialties. A course of external radiotherapy here takes 4 to 8 weeks on average.

How the treatment plan is chosen

At Koç University Hospital, the plan for cancer treatment is chosen at a tumour board, where doctors of different specialties review the case together. According to the hospital, treatment plans are regularly discussed at this board within its Comprehensive Cancer Program. That is why the hospital needs more than the diagnosis to make an estimate: all test results and details of earlier treatment help the board decide whether to start with surgery, drugs or radiotherapy.

Drug therapy: which tumours are treated

The Department of Medical Oncology provides chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy, which uses drugs aimed at specific molecular targets in the tumour. According to the hospital, Assoc. Prof. Şahin Laçin treats gastrointestinal, breast, lung and brain tumours, gynaecological and genitourinary cancers, skin cancer and soft tissue sarcomas, and works with immunotherapy and personalised treatment. Personalised treatment means choosing drugs based on the features of the individual tumour, so send molecular test results right away if you already have them.

How a radiotherapy course works

According to the hospital, a course of external radiotherapy takes 4 to 8 weeks on average, with sessions 5 days a week. Patients need to stay in Istanbul for the whole course, so the length of the trip is planned around the radiotherapy schedule. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is given in one or several sessions.

Treatment is delivered on a linear accelerator using IMRT and VMAT, where the beam varies in intensity to match the shape of the tumour and spare nearby tissue. SBRT, stereotactic body radiotherapy, delivers high doses precisely to the target. For radiosurgery of the head, the hospital has a Leksell Gamma Knife Icon (Elekta). Assoc. Prof. Duygu Sezen, a radiation oncologist, focuses, according to the hospital, on radiotherapy, Gamma Knife radiosurgery and combining radiotherapy with immunotherapy.

Cancer surgery

Cancer operations are performed by surgeons of the relevant departments. According to the hospital, the clinical interests of urologists Prof. Yakup Kordan and Prof. Erdem Canda include prostate, kidney and bladder cancer, including robotic surgery; according to the hospital, the urology team performs robotic prostatectomy, nephrectomy and cystectomy. Tumours of the female reproductive system are treated by a separate gynaecological oncology service.

Palliative care

Palliative care is part of the hospital's cancer programme. It treats pain and other symptoms to support quality of life when the disease cannot be fully cured, or alongside the main treatment.

What to send for a treatment estimate

For the hospital to assess your case and propose a plan, send discharge summaries with the diagnosis and stage, the histology (biopsy) report and, if done, immunohistochemistry and molecular test results. Add CT, MRI or PET/CT images on a disc with their reports, and a list of treatment received so far: chemotherapy regimens, radiotherapy dates and doses, operations.

When travelling is not necessary

If treatment at home is already running to an agreed plan, moving in the middle of a chemotherapy or radiotherapy course is not always justified. You can start with the hospital's opinion based on your documents and decide on the trip afterwards.