Neolife Medical Center

The Neolife Medical Center is a specialized oncological clinic. It is a part of the Turkish Bozlu Holding, which has 20 companies in different countries. The Holding also includes the Eczacıbaşı Monrol company, which produces FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose-radioactive sugar) for PET-CT. It ensures availability of a compound. Clinics that rely on third-party providers may experience waiting periods for PET-CT scans, because of FDGs short shelf life and strict transporting regulations.

The Clinic meets national and international standards regarding quality of service and patients safety. Neolife Medical Center was accredited by JCI (international standards for quality of healthcare) in 2013 as the first outpatient diagnostic and treatment center in Turkey. The institution also is certified by ISO 9001-2008 in 2011 (ensuring quality management system and protection of patients rights).

Cooperation with the state anti-cancer fund, high level of patient care and progressive technologies allowed Neolife to become one of the most authoritative hospitals for the oncology treatment in Turkey.

The Center has been working since 2010. A Neolife team consists of 20 oncologists and surgeons, 40 medical personnel specialized in oncology, urology, gynecology, pulmonary therapy, hematology, neurology, as well as interpreters (8 languages).

Every month, the Clinic provides radiotherapy, radiosurgery, brachytherapy services to 130 patients and conducts 450 sessions of chemotherapy. About 400 foreign patients are treated here every year.

Neolife is one of the few clinics in Turkey that deals with the treatment of pediatric oncology.

Note that the Center does not treat blood cancer.

The Clinic uses a comprehensive approach to treatment, so doctors deal not only with the physical, but also the mental health of patients. The Hospital employs experienced psychologists and psychotherapists, who provide psychological support during the period of treatment and rehabilitation. There is a special program to support patients after the treatment, a list of recommendations designed to ensure the progress in quality of life.

Each Neolife patient undergoes a thorough examination, the outcome of which will determine the further course of treatment.

Treatment and follow-up plans are made according to a multidisciplinary approach. It is based on cooperation with relevant surgery department, pathology, nuclear medicine, internal medicine, and radiation oncology departments.

For the treatment of cancer Neolife doctors apply:

• drug therapy (targeted-, chemo-, hormone-, immunotherapiesy);
• radiotherapy;
• surgical intervention.

The specialty of the Hospital is radiation therapy (radiotherapy). It is a type of cancer therapy using ionizing radiation. Irradiation destroys the tumor without damaging surrounding tissues.

Neolife has advanced equipment for diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases:

• 2 systems of radiotherapy - linear accelerators Trilogy system and TrueBeam STx;
• Brachytherapy (the source of irradiation is injected inside the organ). It is used primarily to treat gynecological and urological oncology;
• Gamma camera (scintigraphy device). It is used for functional scans of the brain, thyroid, lungs, liver, gallbladder, kidneys and skeleton with a radioactive tracer;
• Digital Mammography (Tomosynthesis). Reduces the radiation dose by 30% without sacrificing the quality of imaging;
• PET-CT scan;
• MRI;
• CT;
• Ultrasonography.

TrueBeam STx

The TrueBeam system is the most effective radiotherapy device. It is available only in several countries of the world, and 4 of them are at the clinics in Turkey. Bozlu Holding is the first that brought TrueBeam in the country.

TrueBeam STx system with Novalis Radiosurgery (by Varian) can be used in conventional and 3-D conformal radiotherapy, as well as all advanced radiotherapy:

• imaging-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery (IGRT and IGRS);
• intensity-modulated therapy (RapidArc);
• stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

This system may also be used in intra- and extracranial radiosurgery with <1 mm accuracy.

Trilogy Robotic Radiosurgery System

The Trilogy linear accelerator provides:

• accurate patient positioning (rapid imaging) during treatment;
• 3-D conformal therapy using MLC (precise delivery system uses a "multi-leaf collimator" to shape the radiation beam to the tumor);
• dynamic therapy with modulated intensity and visual control,
• stereotactic radiotherapy.

The device allows to reduce the number of sessions due to the delivery of a large dose of radiation. For example, the standard course of lung cancer treatment lasts for 6 weeks, and the Trilogy system delivers the same dose for 3 sessions within 1 week.