Radiooncology & Radiotherapy Bern: Head physician Prof. Dr. med. Daniel M. Aebersold

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Prof. Dr. med. Daniel M. Aebersold is a specialist and head physician for radio-oncology at the Inselspital in Bern. Prof. Aebersold's internationally well-respected team consists of experienced and expert radiotherapists, medical physicists, specialists in medical-technical radiology, and nursing staff. They guarantee you professional and personal medical care as well as attentive care.

Radio-Oncology Bern - Medical Excellence in Radiotherapy

Radio-Oncology Bern at the Inselspital is committed to the highest quality standards and is one of the leading providers of modern radiation therapy in Switzerland. The radio-oncology department of the well-respected University Clinic Bern offers patients with tumor diseases optimal oncological treatment and care.

State-of-the-Art Therapy Procedures of Radio-Oncology & Permanent Quality Controls

To carry out your radiotherapy to your complete satisfaction and safety, the radio-oncology department of the Inselspital uses the most modern therapeutic procedures, which are subject to constant quality control. This is particularly important in radio-oncology, as the radiation used can damage not only malignant tumors but also healthy tissue.

Prof. Aebersold and his team offer the complete spectrum of radio-oncology in their clinic at a top university level. The top offers include high-precision radiation (stereotactic radiosurgery SRS and extracranial body stereotaxis) as well as all forms of brachytherapy, including intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT). The maxim of Radio-Oncology Bern: Use radiation precisely where it is needed and spare healthy tissue.

Experienced Expert Teams for Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Body Stereotaxis

The infrastructure in the field of high precision radiotherapy is exceptional. Dedicated equipment for stereotactic irradiation is available: The latest generation CyberKnife and two TrueBeam linear accelerators. Experienced teams of experts ensure the optimal use of these technologies for a wide range of tumorous diseases in the brain, lungs, liver, prostate, and other organs.

Center for High Precision Radiation (Stereotaxis)

High-precision irradiation is a state-of-the-art radiation technology that combines maximum efficiency with optimum tissue protection. It, therefore, offers the best possible radio-oncological care for cancer patients.

Latest Generation CyberKnife

Targeted irradiation is a precision job for treating the tumor best possible without damaging healthy tissue. The CyberKnife M6 offers the best prerequisites for this because it allows highly complex and millimeter-precise irradiation of tumors.

The advanced robot-controlled linear accelerator with integrated image guidance is unique in non-invasive radiosurgery. The ultramodern high-tech device enables the targeted irradiation of a tumor from around a thousand different positions. Through real-time imaging and additional triggering of the breath, the device continuously adapts to the respiration-related displacement of the tumor, which means that even cancer tumors in extremely sensitive body zones can be irradiated with maximum safety for the patient. Irradiation destroys degenerated cancer cells. Diseased cells dissolve and are disposed of by the body's immune cells.

The great advantage of the high-energy CyberKnife: due to the selective, precisely targeted irradiation of the tumor, fewer sessions are required to eliminate or confine the tumor.

Brachytherapy with Commitment and Expertise

Brachytherapy, in which a tiny radiation source is placed directly into the tumor, thus sparing the healthy tissue as much as possible, is a therapy option offered with significant commitment and expertise. This procedure is used in particular for so-called partial breast irradiation, in which the University Clinic for Radio-Oncology at the Inselspital is one of the leading clinics.

Al-Based Adaptive Radiation Therapy

The University Hospital for radiation oncology embraces AI-assisted adaptive radiotherapy with Ethos, taking another step toward patient-centered, personalized medicine. Ethos features a Varian Adaptive Intelligence™ solution that combines artificial intelligence (AI) with adaptive therapy.

The Ethos linear accelerator integrates CT that takes images of the size and position of the tumor and surrounding organs while the patient is on the radiation table. The software calculates a daily radiation plan based on timely images using artificial intelligence. Physicians and specialists in medical physics can thus react to momentary changes during treatment. As a result, patients benefit from even more precise irradiation.

Hyperthermia in Cancer: Combination Therapy with Radiotherapy

In hyperthermia (Greek for overheating), cancer cells are heated to a temperature of 39 - 43 °C  – Hyperthermia. Cancer cells are more sensitive to heat than healthy cells. The hyperthermia procedure precisely uses this property to support the cancer cells to die during irradiation - without damaging healthy tissue. Hyperthermia is applied as surface or deep hyperthermia, each with two different devices according to the tumor location. It is carried out immediately before or after a radiation session.

IMRT and IGRT - Radiotherapy for Maximum Protection of Healthy Tissue

The clinic also offers intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Intensity-modulated radiotherapy is a further development and improvement of the standard procedure of 3D conformal radiotherapy. With its help, both the direction of radiation and the radiation dose can be varied. Thus, the desired, high radiation dose reaches the target location, while the healthy environment is spared to the maximum. In this way, intensity-modulated radiotherapy offers excellent chances of cure for many tumors (e.g., in the pelvic area: prostate cancer, rectal cancer, and cervical cancer).

Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) compensates another disadvantage of conventional radiotherapy procedures by additionally combining the irradiation device with a modern imaging procedure, the patient's position and movement and target organ can be continuously monitored, and the irradiation field can be adjusted accordingly. This is particularly important because even in a resting position, the organ to be irradiated can dislocate several mm to cm due to respiratory movement and blood flow. In the case of a rigid, inflexible irradiation field, this would lead to increased irradiation of healthy tissue, while the tumor tissue is irradiated too little. In this way, IGRT increases your chances of recovery.

Orthovolt Irradiation for Skin Tumors and Inflammatory Diseases

Prof. Aebersold and his team also offer another type of treatment named Orthovolt radiation. In this method, conventional X-rays are used with great success for treating skin tumors and inflammatory diseases of the musculoskeletal system due to their low penetration depth. Some treatable clinical pictures are arthrosis, tendonitis, pain associated with heel spurs, and even tennis elbow.

Beta-Irradiation of the Pterygium

As we have already seen, radiotherapy is also suitable for treating benign diseases. One of these diseases is pterygium. The pterygium is a benign conjunctival growth in the eye, which can grow from the inner corner of the eye to the cornea. If this is the case, a pterygium can be accompanied by significant visual impairment.

There are various therapeutic options for the treatment of benign conjunctival changes. Besides surgical removal, treatment of the proliferation with beta rays is an excellent alternative, as recurrences often occur after a short time after the surgery. A therapy with beta-radiation, on the other hand, can eliminate the conjunctival growth effectively and permanently. For this reason, beta-irradiation is also useful for postoperative recurrence. Of course, all aspects of the treatment are coordinated with an appropriate eye specialist before the radiation.

The treatment is carried out with a specially developed applicator, which is similar to a small domed metal bowl. The shell serves as a carrier for the radioactive material and is applied directly to the affected area of the eye during the contact treatment. The radiation exposure is minimal during this radiotherapy, as the radioactive substance only penetrates the eye tissue minimally.

Interdisciplinary Cooperation for Professional and Personal Medical Care

Good networking of different disciplines and specialists can save lives. That is why Prof. Aebersold attaches particular importance to cooperation with different areas of radio-oncology. The university hospital for radio-oncology is the leading cooperation partner in the university cancer center at the Inselspital. All cases are, therefore, discussed in the interdisciplinary tumor board.

As in other departments, there is no treatment template in therapeutic radio-oncology that can be transferred to every patient. Quite the opposite - especially for cancer patients, individual radiation of the tumor is the most important thing to be able to carry out a successful therapy. For this reason, each particular case is discussed with specialists from various disciplines in a regular tumor conference (also known as the tumor board). In this way, all aspects of the disease can be examined in detail to subsequently determine the optimal therapy, which is also helped by the widespread networking with other institutes in Switzerland, which enables a valuable exchange of experience for the patient's benefit. The result is precision medicine that is fitted to the needs of each patient and offers the best possible therapy option.

For Prof. Aebersold, it is particularly important that patients feel well looked after at Radio-Oncology Bern. The expert knows that, especially in a technology-oriented environment, personal human interaction plays a significant role. Prof. Aebersold takes this into account in a unique way.

Guiding Principle of Radio-Oncology Bern: The Human Being Is the Focus

All employees of Radio-Oncology Bern deal with people suffering from cancer every day. Therefore, an appreciative and personal contact with each patient is a matter, of course. Due to their experience, doctors, nurses, and medical-technical staff bring a great deal of understanding and empathy to the patient.

A cancer disease always has a psychological and human component. Everyone deals differently with the diagnosis of cancer and personal fate. Prof. Aebersold knows from many years of experience that it is often useful for tumor patients to talk to an outsider about cancer and the fears and concerns associated with it. The specialist takes this into account with a department specially designed for these needs - psycho-oncology. The psycho-oncological care team not only listens to the personal suffering of the patient but also to the worries and needs of relatives.

To make further progress in the treatment of malignant tumor diseases, Prof. Aebersold and his team invest a lot of heart and soul in intensive scientific work in the fields of tumor therapy, medical physics, radiobiology, and radiation protection, in addition to their clinical activities. On request, Prof. Aebersold also offers private medical consultation hours.

Please, click here for Prof. Aebersold’s website.