Pediatric oncology clinics in Turkey

Modern methods of diagnostics and treatment of pediatric oncological diseases in leading Turkish clinics

Specialized clinics in Turkey use only modern methods of diagnosing and treating cancer according to the NCCN (National Cancer Institute of America) and ESMO (European Protocol for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer) protocols.

As a result of a developed system of private clinics, legally regulated issues of donation and transplantation, the availability of the necessary material and technical base, Turkish doctors provide a higher level of treatment efficiency and safety than in the CIS countries.

Unique diagnostic methods for pediatric oncology in Turkey

Fluorescence microscopy

Allows to carry out the most complex neurosurgical operations and angiography. It also allows to monitor the state of the vessel (contractility, patency, thickness) in real time. Such a microscope is indispensable in the treatment of medulloblastoma, meningioma and other benign and malignant formations of the central nervous system.

Intraoperative neuromonitoring

It is a system that allows to assess the condition of the brain and spinal cord during an operation or procedure. The principle of operation of neuromonitoring is based on receiving impulses from nerve fibers. This is important for the safe delivery of radiation therapy.

Computer tomograph O-ARM-CT

A mobile device that allows to take high quality images directly during the operation. At the same time, a complete scan of the required area takes 15 seconds and another 15 seconds is required to display images on the screen or to recreate a 3D reconstruction of the desired area.

Biopsy

It is a system that allows to assess the state of the brain and spinal cord during surgery. The physician obtains a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image of the area of ​​interest in a short time. In this case, the patient is exposed to a 3 times lower dose of radiation than with standard types of research.

Biopsy in Turkey is highly accurate: about 30% of cancer diagnoses made in the CIS countries are not confirmed in Turkish hospitals.

The diagnostic standard for biopsy in Turkey includes not only examination under a microscope, but also immunohistochemical examination of mutations and prescription status to prescribe the correct treatment.

In the Anadolu clinic, a liquid biopsy option is available, in which basic information about the tumor can be obtained from blood plasma, in other words, by taking blood from a vein. This study is not traumatic and does not require preparation, as well as comfortable for the child and does not require the patient to be anesthetized to obtain a biopsy material.

Advanced methods of treating pediatric oncological diseases in leading clinics in Turkey

Modern technologies open up new possibilities in the treatment of oncological diseases in children, significantly increasing the survival rate and improving the quality of life of young patients.

Bone marrow transplant in Turkish clinics

Bone marrow transplant in Turkey is effective:

• Performed by doctors with over 10 years of clinical experience;
• In Turkey, you can use the biological material of a donor from an international bank, therefore, both autologous transplantation, closely related transplantation, and donor transplantation are available, and the transplant is selected in a short time;
• The wards for patients after bone marrow transplantation are equipped with the HEPA system (filters for safe air sterilization), which eliminates lethal infectious complications;
• The clinics in which bone marrow transplants are performed are provided with intensive care units and modern intensive care units in case of donor bone marrow rejection.

Growing bone tissue from your own cells

In case of Ewing’s sarcoma and other malignant bone lesions, instead of amputation followed by the installation of a titanium prosthesis, it is possible to grow a piece of bone tissue from fibroblasts — the patient’s cells. This technique avoids the patient’s disability.

An integrated approach to the treatment of neuro-oncological diseases

Unlike the CIS countries, neurosurgery in Turkey is not limited to one specialty. There exist:

• Neuroangiology — treatment of vascular pathologies of the central nervous system;
• Neurotraumatology — complex treatment of pathologies caused by damage to the nervous system;
• Spinal surgery — microsurgical operations on the spine, implantation;
• Psychosurgery — treatment of mental pathologies and malformations caused by organic disorders of the brain (hypoxia during difficult labor, cysts, etc.);
• Neurooncology — treatment of oncological diseases of the central nervous system with medication, surgery and with the help of stereotactic surgery;
• Epileptic surgery — destruction of foci of epileptic activity without harm to other parts of the brain;
• Pediatric neurosurgery for malignant neoplasms.

This division allows to ensure the correct approach to various pathologies and to achieve success in treatment without a neurological defect, as well as to provide comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation after removal of a malignant or benign tumor.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

This is radiation therapy, which takes into account the movement of body structures relative to each other during movement. There is a special program that corrects the direction of the beam so that it does not affect the structures surrounding the tumor during breathing. Thus, it is possible to treat brain formations that are closely adjacent to vital structures. The child’s brain is growing rapidly, and radiation exposure is especially dangerous during the growing up period.

Targeted and immunotherapy in Turkish clinics

Targeted therapy does not affect the entire body; it only affects certain types of tumor mutations or receptors. Such therapy is more effective than systemic chemotherapy, and it does not have such harm on the body.

Immunotherapy is designed to make cancerous cells visible to the body’s immune system. This type of treatment is one of the most effective, and in some cases leads to complete tumor regression.

In Turkey, there is a long-term experience of using these methods of treatment for both adults and children, while in the CIS countries they are just beginning to enter clinical practice.