ABSTRACT
During the last 15 years, the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer in the Chelyabinsk region increased from 2.0 to 5.7 per 100,000 of population. Lethality was 2.8 per 100,000. The radiological service of the region includes 4 radiological departments with a total of 270 beds equipped with 7 and units for gamma-ray teletherapy whereas in the oncological dispensary intrathecal gamma-ray therapy can be performed. Under these conditions, it is justified to plan treatment in the regional dispensary and to carry out gamma-ray teletherapy in the radiological department located most closely to the patient's place of residence whereas interstitial therapy should be performed in the dispensary. The said approach assured higher efficacy of treatment, better psychosocial status of patients and shorter duration of therapy; it holds promise for tumors of other sites requiring complex and costly procedures of intrathecal irradiation.
