Robert Janker Clinic for Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Bonn

The MediClin Robert Janker Clinic for Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology in Bonn is the oldest supra-regional cancer treatment centre and has been setting the standards in radiotherapy and radiation oncology in Germany and far beyond for 75 years.

The MediClin Robert Janker Clinic for Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology in Bonn offers high-precision diagnostics using radiology and neuroradiology, as well as radiotherapy for both benign and malignant tumours, with a particular focus on precision irradiation. The clinic applies the very latest medical advances and innovative technology, in particular stereotactic radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Patients have access to the full range of radiation oncology procedures performed on state-of-the-art equipment.

The precision irradiation method

The clinic is equipped with the latest radiation oncology technology for precision irradiation. Only a handful of hospitals in Germany can offer equipment of this calibre. The clinic works with high-precision technologies and irradiation systems including Novalis®, Silhouette® and BrancheVision®. The Novalis®, Silhouette® and Varian high Energy DHX® linear accelerators deliver gentle, precision treatment in line with the most recent technical quality standards.

These systems allow the doctors to destroy tumour cells with extreme accuracy while keeping the radiation dose to the surrounding healthy tissue to a minimum. The technology is so sensitive that even the slightest movement of the patient during a session, shifting the position of the target tumour by a few micrometres, triggers an automatic correction of the radiation vector.

The clinic is known for its extensive use of stereotactic radiosurgery, also referred to as stereotactic radiotherapy (a single high-dose irradiation). Originally used in neurosurgery, the technique is today an alternative to standard radiotherapy. It makes it possible to irradiate small tumours with pinpoint accuracy while sparing healthy tissue. The tumour is destroyed as precisely as with a surgical scalpel – which is exactly why the method is called «radiosurgery».

Stereotaxy is an interdisciplinary technique at the interface between radiotherapy and neurosurgery. More than 250 patients a year undergo stereotactic treatment at the MediClin Robert Janker Clinic. The MediClin Robert Janker Clinic for Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology in Bonn also makes active use of other modern radiotherapy devices and of the latest brachytherapy equipment, which allows a radiation source to be implanted inside the tumour or immediately next to it.

Patient diagnostics, including CT, MRI and angiographic examinations, are carried out in the clinic's own department of radiology and neuroradiology. Alongside radiologists, the clinic employs specialists from other medical fields – neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, haemato-oncologists, palliative care specialists and pain therapists. This makes it possible to provide comprehensive and at the same time individually tailored interdisciplinary treatment. One of the clinic's key areas of expertise is the treatment of benign and malignant tumours of the brain and spinal cord.

In addition to advanced diagnostic and therapeutic methods, the clinic offers its patients and their families individual consultations and a high level of comfort. Patients and accompanying persons are accommodated in single and double rooms; in double rooms an accompanying person may stay with the patient on an inpatient basis. A comprehensive individual care plan is drawn up for every patient, under which the patient is looked after not only by doctors and nursing staff, but also by psychologists, physiotherapists, psycho-oncologists, chaplains, social workers and volunteers.

All types of treatment at the clinic are available on both an inpatient and an outpatient basis. The MediClin Robert Janker Clinic in Bonn is certified to international quality standards and is the leading centre of expertise within the German network of specialist radiation oncology clinics holding OnkoZert certification.