Radiotherapy

The Radiotherapy Department of the Jules Bordet Institute is a reference center, well equipped with radiation oncology equipment and a dedicated specialized team. We treat over 2,300 patients per year for a total of 30,000 treatment sessions in a wide range of cancer pathologies. Each radiation oncologist is specialized in several disease domains. The physics and engineering team is responsible for the treatment plan calculation and the quality assurance, and develops and integrates novel technology into clinical routine. The radiation therapists perform the simulation and the daily patient treatments.

Our equipment and experience allow to offer patients a full range of techniques and to remain at the leading edge of innovation in order to improve the efficacy of the treatment and minimize their toxicities. Examples of equipment and techniques include:

• 4 conventional linear accelerators equipped with surface guiding technology.
  • Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for lesions in the brain, lung, liver, bones and lymph nodes.
  • Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) for breast cancer patients, in combination with VMAT when indicated
  • Total Body Radiation (TBI)
• Gamma Knife unit (Erasmus Hospital site): Radiosurgery of brain lesions
• Linear accelerator for Intraoperative Radiotherapy (IORT), avoiding postoperative radiotherapy in selected breast cancer patients
• Low dose rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy (seeds)
• High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy unit, for treatment of
  • Gynaecological cancers (including interstitial brachytherapy)
  • Oesophageal cancer
  • Pulmonary lesions

In 2020, we joined a worldwide research consortium with the mission to implement an integrated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided radiotherapy system. The Elekta Unity MR-linac is the first machine in the world to combine high field-strength MR imaging with a linear accelerator in a single system, allowing to adapt the treatment on a daily basis and to see the tumor while treating. The MR-linac will be installed at the New Bordet site, and we plan to treat patients with this novel machine in the beginning of 2022.

Our specific research page of the radiotherapy department shows our further research domains and projects.

The Radiotherapy Department of the Jules Bordet Institute is a teaching centre for Radiation Oncologists, medical physicists and radiation technologists in training.

The healthcare staff also participates in the academic teaching of radiotherapy and oncology, master’s degrees in medicine at the ULB university, radioprotection, interuniversity courses and the continued development of doctors, nurses, technologists, etc.