For the first time in Bulgaria, at the Department of Radiotherapy at UMHAT "St. Marina"–Varna, headed by Assoc. Prof. Elitsa Encheva, an active-breathing control technique (ABC system Elekta) with synchronized radiotherapy has been applied in a female patient with carcinoma in the left mammal gland. This is a revolutionary method for reducing the dose in the heart, major blood vessels and the left lung.
At the same time for the first time in the country the most advanced radiotherapy technique VMAT - Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy has been implemented in mammary gland tumors. It differs from the standard radiation techniques with its high precision and reduction of the dose in the surrounding healthy tissues and organs. The benefit of combining both methods is reducing to a minimum the incidence of cardiac complications such as atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, thrombosis of the major vessels.
The exposure of the patient was performed through the first of its kind in Bulgaria linear accelerator Elekta Versa HD. It is able to automatically synchronize the exposure with the respiratory movements of the patient through controlling the breath. Moreover, it has the best device for electron beam modulation - Agility collimator, which excels with its greater speed and high precision of the radiation dose, and reducing the overall exposure of patients.
The combined implementation of these two most advanced methods of radiation therapy is also applied in patients with thoracic and abdominal tumors, whose position depends on the respiratory motion of the patient. Not only is their application extremely effective but it is also far more convenient for the patient.
