Radiation Oncology
Toufic Eid, MD Interim Chairperson Department of Radiation Oncology
| Welcome to the Department of Radiation Oncology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). Our department is committed to provide state-of-the-art and high-quality radiation therapy services. Our team of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, and radiation technologists work seamlessly and with compassion to offer cost-effective and safe care. Many of our
clinical staff hold American board certifications in Radiation Oncology and Radiation Physics and are fully licensed to practice in the United States. We have been treating patients since 1955, having been the first in Lebanon and neighboring countries to implement high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR), Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT), systemic radio-immunotherapy (RIT), Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). We treat about 750 new patients per year, one quarter of them are not Lebanese as our referral base extends to Syria, Iraq, and other Arab countries. Our established official relationships with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital underscore our commitment to offering the highest expertise with the latest scientific knowledge using the best and scientifically proven technical tools. For more detailed information you may access our
brochure (عربي ) in the language of your choice, or view the information listed below.
Our contact information is found to the right. |
About Us
Our mission is to provide our patients with the best quality radiation treatment, based on the latest medical and scientific evidence, using established state-of-the-art radiotherapy technologies. Our commitment also extends to include teaching and research in radiation oncology, medical physics, and general oncology within the context of developing and maintaining excellence in these areas of medical sciences.
Radiation therapy is a major modality in cancer management, with more than half of cancer patients requiring radiation therapy as a component of their care. The functions of the Radiation Oncology Department at AUBMC include the following clinical, research, and educational components.
Clinical
We hold and actively participate in local, regional, and international radiation oncology, medical physics, radiation dosimetry, and radiation safety meetings. Moreover, our board-certified physicians and physicists are responsible to meet their maintenance of certification requirements, which includes continuing medical education. Our radiation dosimetry is audited through the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core. The aims of these efforts are to provide the safest and most effective service for our patients and maintain an active and up-to-date radiation oncology clinical practice.
Research
The research in our department comprises clinical and basic science research and is supported by internal and extramural grant funding. The clinical research in our department includes multiple ongoing projects aiming to gain a better understanding of specific cancer treatments and outcomes in our patient population. The aim of our research is to improve the standards of care and long-term outcomes of patients being treated in countries with limited resources. These efforts are multidisciplinary and international, including collaborators in other departments at the American University of Beirut, research-oriented cancer centers in the Middle East, and academic centers in the United States.
Education
The trainees in the Department of Radiation Oncology include radiation oncology residents, medical students, and medical physics graduate students. The primary objectives of these educational efforts are to expand the opportunity and build frameworks for high-quality care in safe environments throughout the Lebanon and the entire Middle East. Our well-qualified faculty and staff offer a rigorous clinical and didactic program in a friendly and supportive environment for their personal and professional growth.
Services
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Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy
3DCRT is a linear-accelerator-based radiotherapy treatment modality that allows for accurate dose coverage along all three spatial dimensions of the target using diagnostic imaging data like MRI, CT scans and PET scans.
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Image-guided radiation therapy with kilovoltage cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)
IGRT allows for accurate patient positioning immediately before treatment through the use of on-board CBCT
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Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
In addition to 3DCRT and IGRT, IMRT is a radiotherapy modality that allows the delivery of different dose prescriptions to specific areas within the same target volume as well as exquisite dose shaping within the target volume.
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Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
In addition to 3DCRT, SRS is a radiation modality in which superior accuracy is achieved in dose delivery using a special patient immobilization and a fixed reference frame. This enables us to reduce the target size and deliver elevated dose. Treatment is usually performed in a single session.
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Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT)
SRT is a radiotherapy modality that relies on superior accuracy in dose delivery using a special relocatable patient immobilization device and a fixed reference frame. This enables us to reduce the incidental radiation dose to surrounding organs. Treatment is usually performed in multiple sessions.
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Gated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)
In addition to 3DCRT and IGRT, gated SBRT is a radiotherapy modality in which superior accuracy in dose delivery is achieved by accounting for target movement due to patient breathing while the treatment is being delivered. This treatment is offered in few sessions (typically 3-5) to extracranial lesions in the lungs, liver or spine.
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Total body irradiation (TBI)
TBI is linear-accelerator-based radiotherapy treatment modality in which the patient’s entire body is irradiated during each session.
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Three-dimensional brachytherapy
Intracavitary, intraluminal, and interstitial 3D brachytherapy is a radiotherapy treatment modality that allows for accurate dose coverage of the target along all of its three dimensions by placing radiation-emitting materials inside the body, guided by three-dimensional imaging.
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In-vivo dose monitoring
In-vivo monitoring is a method of measuring radiation dose in the patient in real time during radiotherapy treatment delivery.
Personnel
Medical Staff
Assistant Professor
Physics Staff
Research
Residents
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Tala Mobayed, MD
PGY-4
| Tarek Al Bitar, MD
PGY-4
| Jimmy Sebaaly, MD
PGY-3
| Racha Khodr, MD
PGY-2
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Physics residents
