Radiotherapy Treatment - Hands joined in circle holding breast cancer struggle symbol

How Can Radiotherapy Be Used To Treat Breast Cancer?

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Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer affecting women and, like so many other cancers, the prospects for the patient depend heavily on early diagnosis and treatment.

Radiotherapy treatment can play a major role, but for certain risk groups it may not be needed following a mastectomy. This article explains what has changed and what has not.

Breast cancer most commonly affects women over the age of 50, but it can affect patients below this age. Men can develop breast cancer too, although this is very rare.

The first signs are usually the discovery of an unusual lump in a breast. Screening and other tests can help to confirm if the lump is benign or cancerous.

How Is Breast Cancer Treated?

Once a diagnosis takes place, there are several treatment options. These are:

  • Mastectomy (surgical removal of the whole breast)
  • Breast conserving surgery (when the cancerous tissue is removed along with surrounding breast tissue, but most of the breast remains in place)
  • Chemotherapy
  • Hormonal therapy
  • Radiotherapy

These are often used in combination. For example, adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy may be used before surgery.

In stages 1-3 of cancer, Radiotherapy can be used after surgery, both after breast-conserving surgery and a mastectomy.

However, you may rightly query whether radiotherapy will be used after a mastectomy, as recent research has indicated that this may no longer be necessary. This was the finding of an international study carried out by the University of Edinburgh in the UK and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

What Did The Edinburgh Study Reveal About Post-Mastectomy Radiotherapy?

Normally, radiotherapy is used after various kinds of cancer surgery to target any remaining cancer cells that remain following surgery. This can apply to various cancers found in different parts of the body.

However, the Edinburgh study found that when surgery is used in conjunction with anti-cancer drugs, radiotherapy can safely be skipped with no adverse consequences for patients.

A study of patients from 17 countries revealed that the ten-year survival rates were not significantly different between those who had undergone post-operative radiotherapy and those who had not.

Specifically, there was no difference between the two groups in either the recurrence of the disease or metastasis (where secondary cancer takes place as it spreads from the original site to other parts of the body).

When Might Radiotherapy Still Be Used For Breast Cancer?

However, while this study indicates that radiotherapy may not be useful in this particular instance, when a full mastectomy has been carried out early after diagnosis, there are other instances when radiotherapy may still be an important and effective treatment.

Firstly, the study only applied to the situation for patients who had undergone a mastectomy, so it does not provide any basis to change established practice for patients who have had breast-conserving surgery.

Secondly, radiotherapy can be particularly important in treating secondary cancer that has arisen from breast cancer.

Two key factors can influence the likelihood of this happening: the first being later diagnosis, which gives the cancer a greater chance to spread before treatment, while the second depends on variations in oestrogen receptor status, which makes some patients more likely to experience metastasis than others.

Radiotherapy is not the only treatment you may have for secondary cancer, with others including chemotherapy and hormonal treatments, but it is commonly used.

This will be delivered as external beam therapy and locations where this is often used include the bones or the brain, these being two of the most common sites for secondary breast cancer to manifest.

What Are the Benefits Of Personalised Radiotherapy For Secondary Breast Cancer?

Benefits arising from such treatment include the relief of symptoms and the slowing down of cancer progression. Although secondary breast cancer is usually not curable, radiotherapy and systemic treatments can often control the disease and help people live well for longer.

If you come to our private radiotherapy centre, our work will involve devising the right treatment programme based on your circumstances. That may include post-op radiotherapy if you have had breast-conserving surgery for primary cancer, or radiotherapy for secondary cancer.

Each treatment programme is geared to the needs of the individual. This is partly because of variations in your medical situation, such as where any secondary cancer has spread to, your age, your overall medical health, as well as what has (or has not) worked well in any previous treatment you have had.

Beyond this, our aim is always to ensure every patient is treated as the individual they are, tailoring each and every aspect of care to their personal circumstances in order to provide the best possible patient outcomes.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy treatments for breast cancer and secondary cancers on the Amethyst Group website

Gamma knife - radiotherapy ultrasonic head

How Has Gamma Knife Treatment Developed Over The Years?

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Radiotherapy has been around since the turn of the 20th century, but as our understanding of radiation has improved and the technology for deploying it has developed, so has the capacity to bring about better results for patients.

If you require radiotherapy, there are different kinds you may have depending on your condition. For some, the form used is stereotactic radiotherapy. This involves directing very precise beams of radiation at very small and specific areas, with the purpose of providing the maximum impact on a tumour while minimising exposure to surrounding tissue.

This form of radiotherapy is particularly valuable when the cancer is close to the most important organs, which include the brain. One of the devices through which it can be delivered is Gamma Knife.

What Is Gamma Radiation And Why Is It Used In Radiotherapy?

To understand what Gamma Knife does, it helps to know more about radiation. It comes in four types:

  • Alpha particles, which are seldom harmful and not usually useful in radiotherapy, as they cannot penetrate the skin or even objects like clothing or a sheet of paper.
  • Beta particles, which can only penetrate part of the way into your skin
  • Gamma radiation and X-rays. These can both penetrate the skin as they consist not of particles, but of rays, in the same way light waves or radio waves do.

In the case of X-rays, everyone will be familiar with their use in medical scanning. But gamma rays are more powerful and, apart from their ability to penetrate the body, have a major impact on whatever they encounter. Radiation can destroy cell DNA, which is useful in tackling tumours as it leads to cell death and therefore prevents tumours from growing.

The knowledge of the power of gamma rays led scientists to use them in radiotherapy. But Gamma Knife was a significant step forward.

Despite its name, it isn’t a knife in the normal surgical sense, as there is nothing invasive about its use. After all, it is the property of gamma radiation to penetrate the skin that makes it effective.

Who Invented Gamma Knife?

The device was first devised by the Swedish neurosurgeon Lars Leksell in the 1960s. By 1968, he had the device up and working and he was using it at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm.

Using a gamma radiation source and directing the beams with great precision, Prof Leksell was soon using it both to treat brain tumours and also other neurological conditions.

Indeed, even epilepsy and nerve conditions like trigeminal neuralgia can be treated as Gamma Knife can target specific nerve pathways with highly focused radiation, disrupting pain signals without the need for open surgery..

As a result, the lives of many cancer patients have been saved or at least extended, while people suffering from other conditions have enjoyed much relief from them, thanks to Gamma Knife.

A second version of the device emerged in 1974 and its use soon spread beyond Stockholm. The first Gamma Knife to be used in the UK arrived in 1985. Four decades on, it is much more widely used and we have extensive experience of using it for different treatments.

We would be likely to use it if you have a brain tumour in a place that is difficult and/or dangerous to reach and cut out with surgery. However, it may also be used in combination with physical surgery, often being used after the removal of a tumour to prevent it from growing back.

What Other Equipment Is Used To Help Gamma Knife?

It might be expected that any invention from 1968 could be improved upon, but while the device itself has been enhanced to an extent, it is still fundamentally the same thing as it was. However, there are other pieces of technology that can help to make the gamma knife even more effective.

Before and even during radiotherapy, MRI, CT and PET scans are used to help direct the beams of radiation with ever greater precision. Among the benefits of the most modern technology is the ability to do this in 3D, which is especially useful when the beams of gamma radiation are directed from different angles to maximise the impact on a tumour.

If you need stereotactic radiotherapy, you may soon be encountering the Gamma Knife. Like any form of radiotherapy, it will bring some side effects, but the precision of the device and the fact that a course of treatment can be delivered in fewer sessions than other forms of radiotherapy will help to minimise this, as well as ensuring it is over sooner.

A growing number of people have benefited from the use of Gamma Knife over the years, including many of our patients.

Learn more about our advanced Gamma Knife treatments on the Amethyst Group website.

amethyst

Amethyst-Stingray Alliance Featured By HBI

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Investment platform Healthcare Business International (HBI) has published a news story on the new alliance between private oncology groups Amethyst Healthcare (with centres in seven countries across Europe) and Stingray (with a major presence in both France and Germany).

The integration was made possible thanks to the acquisition of Stingray by private equity firm Fremman Capital, with the new combined entity to operate 30 treatment centres across eight countries: the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Austria, Portugal and Romania. 

In all, 60 linear accelerators will be in use, delivering approximately 35,000 radiotherapy treatments each year. This makes the group Europe’s biggest private cancer care provider, with revenue of more than €200 million.

It will be led by Stingray CEO Ralph Hefti, although the Amethyst clinics will retain the Amethyst brand for the foreseeable future to support brand familiarity. However, a new brand may be established at some point.

Speaking to the news source, Mr Hefti said: “For me the concept of an integration implies that you lose something. I would see the intention here being a bit different: to add together two businesses which historically were already two of the three leading radiotherapy platforms in Europe in terms of size, financials, KPIs etc. 

“But what is important is really the combination of the two different operating models. Amethyst is very much a brand to patients whereas Stingray is a value proposition to doctors and to institutions. 

“By combining the two, not only do we get the obvious benefits of size and potential for economies of scale, but we also combine the value proposition so that it is a platform that offers new opportunities to institutions, hospitals, doctors and medical professionals.”

He went on to say that the group now has over 1,000 oncology professionals on staff, making it the biggest team of cancer professionals in Europe – and perhaps even the world. 

This, Mr Hefti continued, will address what he described as the biggest bottleneck in healthcare services by becoming an attractive brand for those in the profession, tackling staff shortages head on.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for different cancers on the Amethyst Group website.

Fremman buys Stingray to merge with Amethyst – PDF

radiotherapy treatment centres

Amethyst & Stingray Announce Cancer Care Alliance

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Amethyst Healthcare has announced a strategic alliance with European oncology network Stingray Healthcare, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, a move that will see the biggest independent cancer care platform created.

The new partnership will see patient access expanded to high-quality cancer care across Europe, with over 30 treatment centres across eight countries in operation and approximately 35,000 radiotherapy treatments delivered annually via linear accelerators (which customise electrons or high-energy X-rays to conform to tumour shapes, targeting cancer cells without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue).

Stingray already has established a strong presence in both France and Germany, the two biggest radiotherapy markets in Europe, while Amethyst has radiotherapy treatment centres in France, Poland, Romania, the UK, Austria, Portugal and Italy. 

Both organisations will maintain their local identities, while sharing expertise and best practices to continue delivering world-class care.

Commenting on the news, Ralph Hefti – founding CEO of Stingray and incoming CEO of the allied group – said: “This marks a pivotal moment for our teams and patients across Europe. 

“By combining the complementary strengths of Stingray and Amethyst, we are creating a truly pan-European platform with the scale and capability to transform cancer care. Together, we are uniting outstanding clinicians, cutting-edge technology and a shared vision to make high-quality oncology treatment more accessible to patients everywhere.”

This strategic alliance follows the acquisition of Stingray by investment firm Fremman Capital. 

Fremman’s founding partner, Edward Chandler, described the move as a “transformational moment for cancer care in Europe”, adding that it will create the scale, quality and reach required to improve patient access to innovative oncology treatment in Europe.

private radiotherapy - purple Ribbon for Pancreatic

How Long Does It Take To Recuperate After Cancer Treatment?

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The beginning of cancer treatment can feel like a whirlwind at times; following a positive diagnosis, a lot of different stages of treatment progress very quickly to ensure you receive the highest quality radiotherapy treatment as soon as it is appropriate to do so.

This includes the initial tests, referrals, the specialist tests which confirm the diagnosis, the establishment of a multidisciplinary team and the development and finalisation of a treatment plan to be executed as soon as possible.

All of this takes place in a relatively short space of time before the new normal of regularly scheduled radiotherapy sessions can begin and a routine can be established around them.

However, the end of cancer treatment, whether it is the end of a specific course of radiotherapy, or a switch to an alternative treatment cycle or stage of care, is a significant milestone that can feel almost the opposite of this.

Rather than moving quickly from phase to phase of pre-treatment, there is the final session of radiotherapy and then a delay between that and the first follow-up appointment.

This is a point that can lead to a wide range of different feelings that can vary from person to person and can depend on the nature of the treatment itself.

However, one big question that many people will have if their treatment has a specified endpoint is how long it will take before they have recovered enough to return to an everyday routine.

There is no single answer, as whilst some people may feel better relatively soon after the last radiotherapy session, other people may take longer to figure out what their “new normal” is.

With that in mind, here is a broad idea of what recovery might look and feel like to you, how long you should expect to take to feel better, and what you can do to help make the recovery process as comfortable and smooth as possible.

Does Treatment End After The Final Appointment?

An important aspect of radiotherapy to remember is that it will continue to take effect for weeks and sometimes months after the final treatment session. This means that whilst the final treatment appointment is the last part of your cancer treatment, it has not necessarily ended.

Your cancer care team is more than aware of this, and your final appointment will not only involve the radiotherapy dose itself but also arranging the first follow-up appointment, answering questions about any concerns and letting you know what to expect following treatment.

There will always be someone available to act as your contact, so you are not alone during this process, and there will be regular tests in the first year or two to ensure that the cancer has fully gone away.

Your doctor will always be available to help with any health concerns as well and provide support on a local level. If you have received treatment internationally for cancer, make sure to book an appointment with them once you get back home.

How Long Should You Rest After The Final Appointment?

It is unfortunately rather common to feel pressured into returning to everyday life as soon as possible. Sometimes that pressure is placed on ourselves, whilst in other cases it can come from family, friends or employers.

As with any other illness, this stress and pressure can delay recovery, particularly for radiotherapy treatments where the dose of radiation is continuing to work to destroy cancer cells long after the final appointment.

This means that, much like during the treatment itself, you may have some days where you feel more capable and active than others. Recovery takes time, gentleness and support, and it is important to avoid pushing yourself too hard too quickly.

In general, a rule of thumb is to wait until your first follow-up appointment before considering a return to a similar level of activity you may have had before your diagnosis, although you can start undertaking gentle exercise and start to make some lifestyle changes sooner than this.

What Is The Difference Between Side Effects And Late Effects?

During treatment, your cancer team may inform you about the potential for side effects in order to ensure that you are prepared ahead of time and can take steps to minimise these effects.

For example, if a radiotherapy specialist warns of potential skin irritation that can occur during and after radiotherapy sessions, this information can help you find appropriate moisturisers, balms and treatments that can help reduce the effects.

On a similar note, late effects are potential symptoms that can occur months and sometimes years after treatment, and your cancer care team should mention these in the final appointment and first follow-up appointment.

Amethyst Healthcare and Stingray join forces to create Europe’s largest Independent Cancer Care platform

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Amethyst Healthcare today announced the creation of Europe’s largest independent cancer care platform following its combination with Stingray Healthcare, a leading European oncology network headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. The transaction follows Fremman Capital’s acquisition of Stingray from Jacobs Capital.

The new group brings together two highly complementary organisations united by a shared mission to expand access to high-quality, patient-centred cancer care across Europe and be the partner of choice for cancer care professionals and institutions. Together, they will operate more than 30 treatment centres in eight countries, delivering around 35,000 radiotherapy treatments annually with over 60 state-of-the-art linear accelerators, making the combined group the largest independent cancer care provider in Europe.

Founded in 2010, Amethyst operates one of Europe’s most established networks of oncology and radiotherapy treatment centres across France, Poland, Romania, the UK, Italy, Portugal, and Austria. Stingray, founded in 2017 by Jacobs Capital and CEO Ralph Hefti, has developed a strong presence in France and Germany, Europe’s two largest radiotherapy markets, through its distinctive doctor partnership model and commitment to clinical excellence.

The merger will significantly strengthen the group’s footprint in Western and Central Europe, enhance its clinical expertise, and provide a robust foundation for continued investment in advanced treatment technologies, research, and innovation. Both Amethyst and Stingray will maintain their local identities while leveraging shared expertise and best practices to deliver world-class care.

Ralph Hefti, Founding CEO of Stingray and incoming CEO of the enlarged group, commented:

“This marks a pivotal moment for our teams and patients across Europe. By combining the complementary strengths of Stingray and Amethyst, we are creating a truly pan-European platform with the scale and capability to transform cancer care. Together, we are uniting outstanding clinicians, cutting-edge technology, and a shared vision to make high-quality oncology treatment more accessible to patients everywhere.”

Edward Chandler, Founding Partner at Fremman Capital added:

“This is a transformational moment for cancer care in Europe. By bringing together two highly complementary organisations, we are creating the scale, quality, and reach needed to improve access to state of the art oncology treatment across the continent. We look forward to supporting Ralph and his team in building Europe’s leading independent cancer care platform. ”

About Amethyst Healthcare

Founded in 2010, Amethyst Healthcare is the largest private provider of Radiotherapy services in Europe, delivering next generation (non-surgical) oncology treatment across the international Cancer Care market in Austria, France, Italy, Poland, Romania and the UK, operating 21 specialist centres, comprising 34 Linear Accelerators (Linacs) and two Gamma Knife Radiosurgery centers.

About Stingray Healthcare

Founded in 2017, Stingray Healthcare is an alliance of medical professionals, healthcare managers, and entrepreneurs dedicated to advancing cancer care, operating 10 radiotherapy and Gamma Knife centres in Germany and France. Through a distinctive doctor partnership model, Stingray supports established practices with financial resources and strategic expertise to deliver the highest quality of care to patients. Learn more at Stingray-healthcare.com

About Fremman Capital

Fremman is a pan-European, mid-market investment firm with offices in London, Madrid, Paris, Munich, Milan, and Luxembourg. Founded in 2020, Fremman partners with successful founders and management teams to transform businesses from local champions to multinational sustainable leaders. Learn more at fremman.com

For media inquiries, please contact: Sophie Ward, Amethyst Healthcare [email protected]

Private chemotherapy - Male doctor and testicular cancer patient

Learn About The Treatment Options For Testicular Cancer

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Testicular cancer is one of those conditions that is, by its very nature, often made harder to treat by later diagnosis. The general reluctance of men to seek medical advice is well documented. However, it is a form of cancer that is nearly always treated successfully, leaving the patient surviving and cancer-free.

Every so often, the disease will make the news because of a high-profile case, the latest being in the US, where NBA basketball star Nikola Topic has revealed he has been diagnosed and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

We can offer private chemotherapy for testicular cancer as well as other treatment options. A range of different means of tackling the disease exists and, as with other cancers, a range of factors can help to determine the best approach.

These include age, general health, how advanced the cancer is and whether it has metastasised (spread elsewhere in the body as secondary cancer). Often, the best approach will involve a combination of treatments.

Facts About Testicular Cancer

Unusually, testicular cancer is a disease predominantly affecting younger men, with around half of cases aged under 35. It is the most common cancer in men aged between 15 and 44, although it is rare in puberty. In contrast to prostate cancer, which is more likely to affect black and Asian men, white men are at the greatest risk from testicular cancer.

The likelihood that this occurs in someone who is younger and fitter does mean there will be greater resilience in dealing with more aggressive treatments, although chemotherapy and radiotherapy side-effects will impact patients of any age.

Surgery to remove the affected testicle is used in most cases. If this occurs early enough, it may be enough in itself to get rid of the cancer entirely. The good news for men hoping to start a family or add to any children they already have is that one remaining testicle can still produce enough sperm to maintain fertility.

Like most cancers, the means by which testicular cancer can spread is through the lymph nodes, which can subsequently affect a wider area and ultimately lead to cancer in very different parts of the body.

When Chemotherapy Or Radiotherapy May Be Used

In many instances, the best approach is for chemotherapy or radiotherapy to be used to tackle any cancerous cells remaining after the surgery. This can help prevent metastasis. Sometimes, further surgery can also be used to remove any remaining cells.

Chemotherapy is designed to target cancer cells and that can be highly effective in tackling primary testicular cancer.

Chemotherapy Drugs Used For Prostate Cancer

Various chemotherapy drugs exist for testicular cancer treatment, including bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. These can be given in combination, known as BEP therapy. Another common drug is carboplatin.

Each of these drugs contains chemicals that are toxic to cancer cells and can kill them. While radiotherapy will work specifically on the areas where the radiation is directed to kill cells in the localised area, chemotherapy has the advantage of mobility, as the chemicals will enter the bloodstream and can destroy cells that are travelling around the body.

This means chemotherapy can be particularly effective in preventing metastasis. Other uses include adjuvant chemotherapy, which is given after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence. This is when carboplatin is most likely to be used.

Alternatively, chemotherapy can be given in the case of a recurrence after the first course of chemotherapy treatment. If this is the case, or secondary cancer has developed, the dose is likely to be higher and the treatment more intense.

As can be deduced from the above, there are various scenarios that prostate cancer patients may find themselves in, chiefly relating to the stage the disease is at when any course of treatment occurs.

In the ideal scenario, the chemotherapy or radiotherapy after surgery will be enough to leave the patient cancer-free. However, when this is not the case, either due to a recurrence or the emergence of secondary cancer, there are further chemotherapy options.

Radiotherapy For Prostate Cancer

When radiotherapy is used on testicular cancer, it comes in the form of external beam radiotherapy, which will direct the radiation at the scrotum and the affected area.

The side-effects of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be significant, which can include a loss of appetite, tummy trouble, sore skin and hair loss. However, after treatment, these symptoms will ease off, a prime example being when lost hair grows back. Where fertility is placed at risk, sperm samples can be taken and frozen beforehand.

We specialise in providing personalised treatment for every patient. While testicular cancer is eminently treatable, there are still various paths that the road back to health can take, some longer than others. What we will do is ensure that whatever is most appropriate for you will be available to ensure the best possible outcome.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments for prostate cancer on the Amethyst Group website.

Private radiotherapy - Doctor consulting male patient with suspected prostate cancer

How Is Radiotherapy Used To Treat Prostate Cancer?

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Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer affecting men. The most recent EU-wide figures (for 2020) showed it accounted for 23 per cent of cancer diagnoses in men, while data for the UK between 2017 and 2019 put the figure at 28 per cent.

There are some significant demographic variations. For instance, the disease is most likely to affect men in their late 70s, while there are also racial differences, with black men at the greatest risk and Asian men at higher risk than their white counterparts.

New Discovery Highlights Genetic Risk

A further discovery has highlighted how some men may be at a particularly high risk for genetic reasons. The Institute for Cancer Research in London has found that men with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are at an elevated risk of getting the disease.

This led to the institute calling for changes in UK prostate screening guidelines to ensure that all men aged over 40 with these mutations are given regular screening to increase the chances of an early diagnosis.

The findings were presented at the annual congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology. It marks a shift from the previous findings from the same institute, which had already identified mutations in the BRCA2 gene as a sign of increased risk, with sufficient evidence now available to add mutations in the BRCA1 gene to the high-risk category.

Treating Prostate Cancer

As with any type of cancer, an earlier diagnosis can make treatment easier. However, whether the diagnosis is early or late, radiotherapy will commonly be used.

While earlier detection typically broadens treatment options and improves outcomes, radiotherapy remains a principal treatment for prostate cancer across different stages.

Our private radiotherapy centre can offer different methods of delivering this, in accordance with each patient’s circumstances.

Because prostate cancer is so common, there is a lot of knowledge and treatment about how to tackle it. However, as can be seen above, research is ongoing on a large scale and more is being learned all the time. This means that new means of treating the disease emerge frequently, whether entirely new or a fine-tuning of existing methods.

In the case of radiotherapy, the latter applies, as radiotherapy as a treatment for prostate cancer has a long history. It may be used on its own, or in combination with other treatments such as surgery to remove the tumour or even the whole prostate, as well as chemotherapy.

There are two main methods of treating prostate cancer through radiotherapy, which are external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy.

External Beam Therapy

In the first case, this involves beams of radiation being aimed at the affected area using a machine to direct them. The most precise form of external beam radiotherapy is known as stereotactic radiotherapy, which seeks to target very specific, small areas. That is something that can be done when the cancer is very localised, such as after an early diagnosis.

The benefit of stereotactic radiotherapy is that it can concentrate the radiation very closely on a small area to target the cancer effectively while minimising exposure for the surrounding tissue.

For this reason, less concentrated radiotherapy may be more likely to be used in the event of secondary cancer occurring, which spreads beyond the prostate into surrounding areas and therefore warrants the delivery of a wider dose of radiation across a less restricted area.

The Use Of Brachytherapy

The other main treatment method is Brachytherapy. This involves placing a small seed of radioactive material under the skin in or near the affected area, where it will deliver radiotherapy. This means it is delivering this constantly rather than in specific sessions at one of our radiotherapy centres.

In the case of brachytherapy, multiple ‘seeds’ of material, around the size of a grain of rice, are used, with the number varying according to the size of the tumour.

If it proves possible to use radiotherapy alone without resort to surgery, this can produce better outcomes for the patient. Common problems for those who undergo surgery include losing the ability to get and sustain erections and urinary leakage.

Side Effects Of Radiotherapy

As with radiotherapy for any form of cancer, there are side effects to consider. These commonly include tiredness and fatigue, skin soreness, a loss of appetite, bowel and urinary issues, and sexual side-effects (including erectile dysfunction).

The minimisation of exposure for healthy tissue near affected areas, reducing symptoms, is one of the benefits of stereotactic radiotherapy.

However, the right kind of radiotherapy treatment, along with other treatments, will depend on the circumstances of each patient. What we will always do is ensure that you get the best treatment for your own situation.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy treatments for prostate cancer on the Amethyst Group website.

amethyst porto

Amethyst Healthcare Launches Portugal Presence

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Amethyst Healthcare, one of the leading providers of advanced radiotherapy and integrated cancer care in Europe, has announced that it has now established a firm presence in Portugal, following the acquisition of private Portuguese radiotherapy provider Júlio Teixeira.

This strategic move will ensure that people in Portugal are better able to enjoy even greater access to radiotherapy cancer care.

New Radiotherapy Centres

In an exclusive interview with Healthcare Business International, Amethyst CEO Stéphane Carré explained that the acquisition of Júlio Teixeira will add to Amethyst’s ever-expanding clinical network and increase the number of patients treated by the group each year by approximately 3,000.

Júlio Teixeira clinics are located in Porto, partnered within CUF, the leading private healthcare hub in northern Portugal, and a second centre in Braga.

Mr Carré said: “The Portuguese market is relatively small compared to others in Europe, but it is a well organised and well administrated one. Since I first joined Amethyst, we’ve been interested in entering the market, it was just a matter of identifying the right opportunity. 

“I genuinely believe acquiring Júlio Teixeira was the best opportunity we could have found to enter the market. The centres enjoy a very strong reputation; they’re really considered to be among the best centres in radiotherapy.” 

CyberKnife

An important milestone of this acquisition is that the clinic in Porto features CyberKnife, the only one in the country, with Mr Carré noting that this integration will enhance Amethyst’s treatment offering and deliver “valuable expertise and knowledge” that can be leveraged across the wider group.

The hope now is that this move will enable further expansion in Portugal, with other potential acquisition targets now under consideration in the main cities and the south of the country.

Radiotherapy treatment - photo of bladder

Can Radiotherapy Reduce Secondary Bladder Cancer Risk?

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The value of radiotherapy treatment for cancer has grown exponentially over the years. When it was first used in the early 20th century, its effects were merely palliative and while that is still a use for it today, there is now so much more that can be achieved, with some patients making a full recovery and being able to live cancer-free.

Advances have come from three sources. Firstly, this came through a better understanding of radiation itself. Secondly, through the development of ever more sophisticated devices, which have been able to deliver doses of radiotherapy with greater precision both in terms of the amount of radiation given and the accuracy of it.

A third area of advancement has been the use of studies to establish how particular uses of radiotherapy in certain situations may be effective in bringing about better patient outcomes.

The impact of this aspect may be more incremental than the other two, and some discoveries relate only to specific circumstances, but each such advance will benefit many patients.

The latter case may be particularly useful when treating secondary cancer, as by its very nature it is often unpredictable; once a cancer spreads beyond its area of origin, the treatment will need to be tailored according to where else in the body the cancer starts to manifest itself.

A Pelvic Relapse Breakthrough

A recent example of research that can advance treatment for secondary cancer was presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

It relates to the use of radiotherapy in the wake of surgery for bladder cancer and its effect in preventing the recurrence of muscle-invasive secondary cancer in the pelvic region.

The Phase III  Bladder Adjuvant RadioTherapy (BART) study, which was carried out at hospitals across India, found that the use of adjuvant radiotherapy for patients who had undergone surgery to remove their bladder had greatly reduced instances of postoperative secondary cancer in the pelvis.

This was achieved with acceptable toxicity and no unexpected safety signals for patients.

In the study, the group undergoing the adjuvant radiotherapy only experienced muscle-invasive secondary cancer in eight per cent of cases, compared with 26 per cent for a control group without the therapy.

The Significance Of The Findings

Speaking about the findings, principal investigator for the trial Dr Vedang Murthy, a professor of oncology based at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, said: “This is one of the first studies and the largest randomised trial to show that post-operative radiation therapy can meaningfully reduce pelvic relapses in bladder cancer.”

Noting that “pelvic relapse can be devastating for patients – extremely painful and almost impossible to treat,” he added: “Our research shows that modern radiation therapy offers a safe way to prevent many of these recurrences and improve patients’ quality of life.”

The significance of this particular piece of research is twofold. Firstly, this is one of the more predictable forms of secondary cancer. In the US, around a third of patients with bladder cancer suffer secondary cancer due to tumours growing beyond the lining of the bladder into the muscle wall and invading the muscles of the surrounding area.

That means this research is not likely to be a ‘niche’ discovery that will only benefit a few patients, but become a common treatment that will help as many as a third of bladder cancer sufferers.

Multiple Ways Of Using Radiotherapy

A second important fact to note is the role of adjuvant radiotherapy. Some patients might imagine radiotherapy is either to attack the primary cancer that they were first diagnosed with, or to fight a secondary cancer after it has developed.

However, this use of radiotherapy is a prime example of a third method of use, acting as an effective preventative measure against recurrent secondary cancer.

Discoveries of this kind help radiation oncologists to offer a wider range of treatments to patients at various stages of their patient journey, improving the prospects of better outcomes.

Other Radiotherapy Advances For Secondary Cancer

This research was far from the only new research presented to the ASTRO meeting about the effectiveness of treatments in helping to fight secondary cancer.

For example, a trial by the University of California in Los Angeles revealed that a combination of stereotactic radiotherapy for limited metastatic prostate cancer could be made more effective when combined with a radiopharmaceutical, a drug that adds radiation to a ligand, a molecule that attaches itself to cancer proteins throughout the body.

The use of radiotherapy will continue to become more precisely calibrated, either on its own or in combination with other treatments. We may be able to bring the latest techniques and technology to bear on your condition, providing the best treatment available to you to seek an optimal outcome.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy treatments for secondary cancers on the Amethyst Group website.