At Samsung Medical Center, there are 4 linear accelerators to help patients choose the ideal type of radiation by assessing the patient’s treatment site and body shape.
 In addition, there are 2 latest model^{Clinac? iX, Novalis Tx}which are used for IGRT, Respiratory Gated Therapy, and SBRT (radiosurgery) and 2 ^Tomotherapy used for IMRT. Also, there is a brachytherapy device that directly inserts “radioactive isotope (Ir-192)" to the body and lesion sites for treatment.

A treatment method called “Stereotactic Radiation Therapy,” consists of using a three dimension coordinate system to centrally transfer high level of radiation from many directions to the tumor. Under the stereotactic radiation therapy, there is SRS, stereotactic radiosurgery, which treats the lesions near the brain once with high dose radiation therapy and the SBRT, stereotactic body radiation therapy, which treats the lesions in parts of the body other than the brain through 1~5 counts of radiation therapy. The SBRT uses linear accelerator which has installments of image guidance equipment and stereotactic radiation therapy system to treat lung cancer, liver cancer, and spinal tumor.

Image Guided Radiation Therapy
This is a precise treatment method that consists of the imaging and correction process just before the radiotherapy to minimize errors in determining the range of the treatment site and the surrounding normal tissues. It is an effective technique especially in treating tumors near important organs such as spinal nerves, eyes, and rectum.



4-Dimensional Radiation Therapy
It is a treatment method that takes account of the patient’s physiological movements. For example, it can decrease the side effects and increase the effectiveness if the patient’s movements, corresponding to the respiration, are taken into account. In lung cancer and liver cancer patients, the site of the tumor is assessed through respiration to accurately transfer the radiation to the tumor.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
This is a “Customized Radiotherapy Method” that divides each radiation, from several to over dozens. The quantity of radiation, in other words, “intensity” is controlled per area to minimize radiation exposure to the normal tissues surrounding the tumor and to apply selected level of radiation to the targeted tumor.

Tomotherapy
It is a cutting edge radiotherapy device for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy with computer tomography functions. This device makes the high does radiation treatment possible by preserving the normal organs and limiting the radiation within the tumors through the radiation treatment after identifying the treatment site with tomography. In addition, even in cases with different tumor shapes and sites, simultaneous treatment is possible.

When comparing to the X-ray radiotherapy, the proton treatment transfers low level of radiation to the normal tissues near the tumor. Therefore, satisfactory treatment effects can be achieved while lowering the possibility of side effects through the proton treatment. Furthermore, the possibility of secondary cancer development and influence of growth are expected to decrease in pediatric patients.
Of the two treatment methods, choosing the most suitable method depends on the patient’s condition and purpose of treatment, therefore, it is recommended that you make a decision after consulting with a radiation oncology specialist.