Orthovoltage Radiation Therapy
Orthovoltage Radiation Therapy
There are a wide variety of conditions and disease that Orthovoltage treatment can add value to patient care, through advanced, cost effective treatment approaches.
What is Orthovoltage treatment?
Orthovoltage is a method of delivering radiation therapy that has been available for more than 60 years. The X-rays used in this treatment are effective in treating cancers but do not penetrate more than a few millimeters beyond the surface of the skin, making it particularly useful in the treatment of very superficial small tumors, such as skin cancers, eyelid and lip cancers and benign skin conditions including keloids.
Orthovoltage is an excellent alternative to surgery for skin cancer in sensitive locations, such as the folds of the nose, eyelids or ears. It can also be used to treat extensive malignant conditions of the skin such as mycosis fungoides.
What other conditions can Orthovoltage treatment be beneficial for?
Beyond malignant conditions, we can offer value through tissue sparing, minimally-invasive procedures for the treatment of skin conditions such as Bowen's disease, plantar fasciitis, psoriasis and warts.
Orthovoltage treatments for the treatment of Keloids, as a treatment provided post-surgery (adjuvant), has seen much success over the years by minimising the chance of keloid recurrence where reported recurrences without any adjuvant therapy varies from 45-100% radiotherapy can reduce this to approximately 15% at 5 years. It is the only adjuvant treatment that has shown a benefit in preventing recurrences in clinical trials and retrospective reviews.
The applications of treatment extend to bone, ligaments, muscles, tendons and joint pain. It is possible to offer conservative treatments to alleviate pain from conditions such as: Frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, myositis, dupuytren's contracture and fibromatosis. Insurers often do not reimburse these treatment and cost is an important advantage of using orthovoltage.
Reducing the cost of non-malignant treatments:
The added benefit of using this technique is that of reduced costs when compared to conventional treatments with a linear accelerator. This benefit is important as patients often have to bear the cost of this treatment themselves as most medical insurers do not reimburse for conditions such as keloid treatments.