At Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) we have extensive experience and expertise in treating a wide range of cancers, including rare conditions. We are able to use this experience to offer a range of high quality radiotherapy treatments to private patients.
Brain tumours
Radiotherapy can be given as the main form of treatment for brain tumours, post-operatively or where surgery is not possible due to the tumour's position or general health of the patient.
QEHB is a large specialist neurosciences centre with access to a wide range of advanced technologies. Clinicians are able to choose the optimum treatment for each patient with options including:
- intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) (including TomoTherapy)
- image guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- stereotactic radiotherapy/radiosurgery (CyberKnife)
- conformal or conventional radiotherapy
A course of external beam radiotherapy is given daily from Monday to Friday with a rest period over the weekend and typically involves up to six weeks of treatment.
Consultants
Dr Paul Sanghera, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Radiotherapy Service Lead
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Breast cancer
Radiotherapy is frequently used after surgery to treat breast tumours. The aim of radiation treatment is to destroy any cancer cells that may be left behind in the breast area after surgery. Radiotherapy is given daily, Monday to Friday, with a rest over the weekend with a typical course lasting four weeks.
Radiotherapy is often used to treat breast cancer in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. Your consultant will discuss the available options with you.
Consultants
Dr Robert Stevenson, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3597
Dr Indrajit Fernando, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3597
Dr Muhammad Suhail Anwar, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
Dr Andrea Stevens, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3603
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Bowel cancer (colon, rectal and anal)
Radiotherapy plays an important part in treating cancer within the colon or the rectum and is frequently used with surgery.
Depending on the type of cancer, patients may receive a short course of radiotherapy before surgery, or a longer course possibly combined with chemotherapy. A typical course lasts for up to four weeks and is given Monday to Friday.
Your clinician will choose the optimum radiotherapy treatment suitable for you, which can include:
- intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) (including TomoTherapy)
- image guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- conformal or conventional radiotherapy
Consultants
Dr Ian Geh, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3642
Dr James Good, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Gynaecological cancer (endometrial and cervical)
Radiotherapy is an important and effective treatment for cervical and endometrial cancer. In many cases it can help cure the disease completely.
Radiotherapy can be given as the main treatment, post-operatively and in combination with chemotherapy. When chemotherapy is given at the same time as radiotherapy it is known as concurrent chemo-radiation.
Radiotherapy for endometrium and cervical cancer can be given by external beam radiotherapy or internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy). You may need one or both of these types of treatment, which your doctor will discuss with you.
External beam treatment options include:
- intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) (including TomoTherapy)
- image guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- conformal or conventional radiotherapy
A typical course of treatment lasts up to five weeks and is given Monday to Friday.
Brachytherapy for gynaecological cancer can be used on its own or after a course of external radiotherapy. A treatment course may be between one to three hospital visits. Treatment does not require an overnight stay.
Consultants
Dr Indrajit Fernando, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3597
Dr Ahmed El-Modir, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
Dr Muhammad Suhail Anwar, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Head and neck cancer
Radiotherapy plays an important part in the treatment of cancer of the head and neck. It can be used post-operatively or where surgery is not possible due to the position of the tumour or the patient’s general health.
Some patients benefit from having chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy. When radiotherapy is given at the same time as chemotherapy it is called concurrent chemo-radiation.
Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the treatment of choice for head and neck cancers and can be given on a TomoTherapy machine or linear accelerator.
IMRT permits the better shaping of dose around the tumour, providing excellent coverage and minimises the amount of radiation that reaches important adjacent structures. This helps to reduce the dose to healthy tissue and is important to minimise long-term side effects such as a dry mouth. Treatment is given daily and usually takes 15 – 30 minutes, with a typical course lasting up to six weeks.
TomoTherapy is the optimum technique for head and neck treatment. QEHB is the only centre in the Midlands to have this advanced treatment system.
Consultants
Dr James Good, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
Dr Paul Sanghera, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Radiotherapy Lead
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Lung cancer
Radiotherapy is an effective method of treating lung cancer. The type of treatment is determined by the type of lung cancer, how advanced the cancer is, and the age and general health of the individual. Radiotherapy can be used on its own, following a course of chemotherapy or at the same time as chemotherapy, which is known as concurrent chemo-radiation.
Treatment options for lung cancer include:
- intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
- TomoTherapy
- image guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- stereotactic radiotherapy (SABR)
- radiosurgery
- CyberKnife
- conformal or conventional radiotherapy
SABR can be used to treat small primary lung cancers (cancer that starts in the lung). It can also be used to treat secondary cancers (cancer that started in another part of the body) in the lung. SABR may be an alternative to surgery for people who can’t have surgery or where the tumour is in a difficult area to operate on. It is a highly specialist treatment and is not suitable for everyone.
Consultants
Dr Qamar Ghafoor, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3573/0121 371 3590
Dr Robert Stevenson, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3597
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Liver tumours
Radiotherapy is an important and effective treatment for a small group of patients with secondary tumours (metastases) in the liver. QEHB offers two very specialised treatments called selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) or stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR).
SIRT
SIRT is a day-case radiation treatment administered via the bloodstream and side effects are usually mild. It has proven effective in treating a variety of cancers in the liver, even those at an advanced stage.
SABR
SABR is a specialised type of radiotherapy treatment used to treat small, well-defined tumours. It is not suitable for everyone. Treatment at QEHB can be given on a linear accelerator (linac) or a specially designed CyberKnife machine. Your clinician will choose the machine that is most clinically appropriate for you.
Consultants
Dr James Good, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Oesophageal cancer
Oesophageal cancers can be treated using radiotherapy. Treatment can be given alone or together with chemotherapy, which is known as concurrent chemo-radiation.
Treatment options for oesophagus cancer include:
- intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
- TomoTherapy
- image guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- stereotactic radiotherapy (SABR)
- conformal or conventional radiotherapy
IMRT treatment usually takes 15 &nbdash; 30 minutes each day and is given Monday to Friday with a rest over the weekend. A typical course of treatment can be up to five weeks.
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Skin cancer
Radiotherapy plays an important part in treating skin cancer. Treatment is usually recommended for basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer and sometimes lymphoma (cancer that starts in lymphocytes cells) involving the skin.
There are two types of radiotherapy used to treat skin cancer; superficial X-rays and electron beams. Superficial X-rays do not penetrate far into the skin before being absorbed and electron beams is an alternative form of X-ray treatment. The method chosen depends on the size, site and depth of skin that requires treatment, which will be explained to you before treatment commences.
Skin cancer may also be treated with surgery, cryotherapy or topical chemotherapy. You may receive a combination of these treatments, which your doctor will discuss with you.
Consultants
Dr Qamar Ghafoor, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3573/0121 371 3590
Dr Anjali Zarkar, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3597
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.
Urological cancer (bladder and prostate)
Bladder cancer
Invasive bladder cancer can be treated with radiotherapy and could potentially be used as an alternative to surgery.
Radiotherapy can be given as the main treatment, post-operatively and in combination with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may be given at the same time as radiotherapy and is known as concurrent chemo-radiation. Chemotherapy can also be given before starting radiotherapy and is referred to as neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
QEHB offers a wide range of specialised beam treatment which includes:
- intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
- TomoTherapy
- image guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- conformal or conventional radiotherapy
A course of IMRT treatment is given daily and takes 15 – 30 minutes from Monday to Friday, with a rest over the weekend. A typical course of treatment can be up to five weeks.
Prostate cancer
Radiotherapy plays a vital role in the treatment of prostate cancer and can be given as the main treatment, post-operatively and in combination with hormone therapy.
Prostate cancer that is contained within the prostate gland is called localised prostate cancer and radiotherapy can be administered to try and cure it. This type of treatment involves a high dose of radiation to the prostate gland to destroy the cancer cells, while doing as little harm as possible to nearby tissues, such as the bladder or the back passage (rectum).
QEHB offers a wide variety of specialised treatment options for prostate cancer which gives clinicians the ability to choose the optimum treatment for each patient. Treatment options include:
- intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) (including TomoTherapy)
- image guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- stereotactic radiotherapy/radiosurgery (CyberKnife)
- conformal or conventional radiotherapy
- internal radiotherapy (low dose brachytherapy)
The decision on which type of radiotherapy treatment to use is made by our highly experienced consultants on a patient-by-patient basis. A typical course of IMRT involves four weeks of treatment from Monday to Friday, with a rest over the weekend. Each session takes between 15 and 30 minutes.
Consultants
Dr Dan Ford, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3573/0121 371 3590
Dr Ahmed El-Modir, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3599
Dr Robert Stevenson, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3597
Dr Anjali Zarkar, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Secretary: 0121 371 3597
For more information on the types of treatment available for private patients at QEHB, please see the "types of radiotherapy" page.