Radiation therapy. How and where is saved during the war

The Lviv Oncology Regional Treatment and Diagnostic Center has 17 departments. The largest, two of them - radiation therapy. They can treat 22% of all inpatients of the institution - 120 patients. Radiation therapy is one of the three methods of treatment in oncology.

How is it provided in the conditions of martial law and about sick migrants from Donetsk region - further in the story.

Our radiation therapy starts here. In order to start it the patient first has a CT scan. After that, we load this disk into the Eclipse program. In addition, here we plan. On our device, planning can be done from four to six fields. We determine the dose, and dosimetry is performed here. Here we can see what areas and what dose is needed. Moreover, on this program we can plan for two devices. Our Cobalt apparatus is an isotope apparatus.

It is Cobalt 60. There is a constant source of radiation there, and we reboot it mostly every eight years.

In the same way, a linear accelerator is a device that emits photon radiation.

It does not need to be recharged - it runs on an electronic tube. With its help, you can make such shaped fields that are less harmful for healthy tissues. When we load the disc, we can see which dose falls on the tumor and which on healthy cells.

Here we can revise our fields - as much as we need. We look at exactly which dose falls on which structures.

We can watch it in this mode as well. Watch for critical structures to be hit. For example, a joint. Can see what the percentage of the dose is and where it will go. Moreover, if necessary, we adjust. We also check whether we not hit healthy areas from a certain field.

Now, on this plan, we have the prostate, and here we're looking to see, have we hit key joints and also the bladder. After we have performed dosimetry on this program, the patient can already receive a course of radiation therapy on our devices.

I will show you one of them now. Now I will show you our first device - a linear accelerator. There is also protection here.

This is a lead door. There is also a special corridor. Our most modern device, the Clinac linear accelerator, is located in this room.

This room is designed specifically to protect the patient from radiation, in case of any unforeseen situations. A person can hide behind this corridor.

We have a special fixing plastic mask, they are different - depending on what we irradiate. Is it the oral cavity or something else. The patient undergoes radiation therapy in a mask. Our patient lies on this couch, here are special supports.

Here, already on the device, our laboratory assistants add the fields, and the procedure is carried out.

So, this device is a linear accelerator of the Clinac brand. It emits photon radiation, there is a special photon tube that emits radiation.

Also, what is good in this device is that it can make special fields which can irradiate the tumor and not affect healthy structures.

Now I will show you our other device, it is called Terabalt, it differs from a linear accelerator. There is a constant source of radiation, Cobalt 60. So, there is always a certain dose of radiation in this room. That is why it is a kind of a certain bunker. The walls are thicker, everything is protected here.

But a certain dose remains here, and even the staff always receives a certain part of the dose. That's why our staff always have sensors with them to measure the dose they received. Did we not violate a certain amount of dose per month of exposure

This Cobalt device, the patient lies on this bed, rises up. Rises to the source. The distance from the source to the bed should preferably be eighty centimeters.

If necessary, it rises and falls. Moreover, we have a stand here, where there are metal blocks of lead. We can cover our eyes, brain, and so on.

Near the head of the apparatus, there is always the greatest amount of radiation. This is lead block, which lab technician rearranges to cover the critical area. Now we will show you how it works, our patient will come in, and we will put her on the procedure machine.

Serhiy Leonidovych Solyak, born in 1960. Currently retired. I am born, grew up and lived my entire conscious life in the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk region. In 2014, Girkin's forces seized power in Slovyansk and expelled the police.

The first war began in Slovyansk. My family and I were there for a month or two. Then it became difficult. We went in Kramatorsk, closer to Donetsk to relatives.

We suffered during that war, our house was destroyed. Fragments broke the roof, the windows were broken. We came back, restored everything, thanks God. We thought there would be no more war. Like this, we lived until now.

I am from Slovyansk, and all my relatives are in Slovyansk. I worked at the "Betonmash" plant as an electrician. I have retired for two years. The plant suffered a little - but everything was restored. Now the war has come again.

Our population speaks both russian and Ukrainian. Ukrainian is mostly spoken in the villages. In cities - in russian. Because all teaching in schools and educational institutions is in russian. So you involuntarily switch to russian.

I am 62 years old, I live with my wife - she is four years younger than I am. The daughter will be forty years old. The son is thirty-two. They have their families. Every one of them have a daughter. A son's daughter will be two years old, and a daughter's child will be ten months old. We have a house, my daughter has an apartment, and my son bought an apartment. Were thought life to improve.

I have a brother in Slovyansk, he also has a family - two daughters, grandchildren.

The wife also has a brother with a family. We are all from Slavyansk.

There are cousins ​​and third cousins. My mother is also in Sloviansk. She is from Kharkiv, namely from Kupyansk. She lives in Sloviansk now. She did not want to leave, she is 84 years old. The 85th has already left.

We did not think that there would be a war. February 24, in the morning, at five o'clock, heard explosions of shells, bombs, rockets. The city of Kramatorsk is not far from us.

There is a military airfield. From the first day of the war, it began to be bombed. It is 15 km from us. Strong explosions. Then at night, we hear a noise like a plane flying.

Moreover, a strong explosion. We have Mount Karachun there. There is a TV tower. It was bombed in 2014. Now the rocket flew again and hit this tower. Bombed.

TV channels immediately disappeared. Later, one or two started to show. The light was disappearing. The gas was there for a long time, but then it also began to disappear.

At the beginning, when they shot in Sloviansk -  it was far away and not often. Then, when the russians came close to Izyum - and Izyum is about 30-35 kilometers from Sloviansk.

Then they started shooting often in Sloviansk. Since we have small grandchildren, we decided to go and evacuate.

The electricity went out; they fired rockets into the substation. There was no electricity.

Our local government restored everything. My acquaintance is from a former job, she rode a bicycle in the private sector.

Something exploded, or was shot down, or a rocket exploded. An acquaintance was like “sieve”. I don't know if she is alive - but she was in a serious condition.

They shot at schools. Nevertheless, by the time I left, the schools had not been destroyed much. However, the windows were broken. Rockets exploded near houses, mostly at night. Cars were on fire. They were killed and wounded. In addition, there were children.

There are acquaintances, my wife's brother stayed in Sloviansk. Winter is coming soon, there will be no heating. No firewood, no coal. They live in a private house, without gas - they are thinking of leaving. We contact them by phone, send photos. Many schools have already been destroyed. Schools are badly damaged - no windows, no doors. The roofs are damaged. Many buildings were destroyed - five-story, nine-story.

Currently, there is electricity - but with interruptions. There is no gas for a long time. They cook either on electric stoves,

Alternatively, on firewood. Some furnaces are made from bricks.

However, in winter, most likely those who stayed will go, everyone will go.

Those who stayed and did not leave are mostly people without money. Go nowhere. Someone didn't really dare to go somewhere unknown. The market worked for a long time, and then a rocket fell on the market at twelve o'clock. Many people have been affected and the market stopped to work. Shops are mostly closed - but supermarkets are still there.

I have been in Slavyansk for the last month and felt that I had problems with the "defecation". However, I thought about other things - air alarms, shells, where to hide the children. We came here, to Lviv Oblast, to Drohobych. We searched for an apartment for a long time, moved.

Then I did find time - I went to the hospital. I turned to the doctors.

At first I was examined by a family doctor, then I was sent for a colonoscopy.

Then - on CT. As a result, it turned out I have rectal cancer.

I was sent to Lviv to the regional cancer hospital.

I've been here for the second month, I've had twenty courses of radiation therapy.  I still have eight sessions to go. Then there will be rehabilitation for about two months, Then I have to do the operation. To remove the tumor. Then maybe some more therapy. It will be a difficult operation. There is a bad nuance; this tumor is close to the anus.

Moreover, it is difficult to operate there. You may have to impose a "stop". This is when a person cannot go to the toilet.

You have to walk with a bag.

We left Sloviansk with a suitcase of things. We took it for our children - grandchildren. We have all the property, the house, the apartments - everything is left in Sloviansk. There is no work either. Although I am a pensioner, I could still work. Now - due to my health - I will not be able to work. We live in Drohobych, we rent an apartment, and everything is expensive. Products are becoming more expensive.

Expensive medicine. In addition, winter is coming soon.

Therefore, I need help, because I have a difficult operation ahead of me, then recovery.

Moreover, it is not known what other procedures there are. How much money will be needed for medicines. If any organizations help, I will be very happy, I will not refuse. Because the situation is such that no one helps. There is no work, the pension is small. Family, children, small grandchildren. However, you have to survive.

I would be very grateful if someone could help by participating in my fate. I would like to restore my health.

This material was prepared and financed by The European School of Oncology (Milan, Italy) - https://www.eso.net/