Faculty Members
Director: Michael I. Koukourakis, Professor of the Department of Medicine, DUTH
Assistant Professor: Christos Zois
Assistant Professor: Christos Zois
I. Introduction
The Radiotherapy Oncology Clinic of the Department of Medicine of the Democritus University of Thrace, established by Ministerial Decision (Government Gazette 355, March 18, 2005), serves educational, research, and clinical needs in the field of Radiotherapy for malignant tumors and other diseases (using ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and their combination with chemical and biological agents). This field includes the sciences of classical and molecular Radiobiology and Radiation Pathology.
The Radiotherapy Oncology Clinic is located (Joint Ministerial Decision AP Y4a/99971/07, 17-12-2008) in a specially designed area of the University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis (Building B, Level -2). It provides treatment to all patients within the specialty of Oncology, coming from the wider region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, as well as from other urban and regional centers in Greece.
The Clinic is staffed by specialized registrars, nurses, radiotherapy medical physicists, and radiotherapy technologists-operators. Additionally, the Clinic is supported by PhD and postdoctoral students (clinical and experimental radiobiology and radiation pathology), as well as undergraduate molecular biology students or postgraduate students conducting their thesis research.
II. Clinic Units and Laboratories:
- Clinical Inpatient Unit for patients undergoing chemotherapy / immunotherapy
- Outpatient Clinics
- Linear Accelerator Unit (IGRT, IMRT/VMAT, SBRT)
- Intracavitary / Interstitial Implants Unit (Brachytherapy)
- Radiotherapy Simulation and Treatment Planning Unit
- Clinical-Laboratory Unit of Molecular Radiobiology and Oncology, including an animal facility
- Exercise Unit for oncology patients
III. Courses for Medical Students
- Oncology (Mandatory course)
- Radiation Exposure (Elective course)
IV. Research Activities
1. Clinical Research
- Fractionation and Acceleration of Radiotherapy
- Radiochemotherapy and Immunotherapy
- Combination of radiotherapy with newer biological agents (targeted therapies)
- Clinical-Laboratory Research
In collaboration with the Laboratory of Pathology as well as other laboratories and clinics of DUTH, intensive research is conducted on the role of hypoxia, angiogenesis, autophagy, tumor metabolism, and immune response in post-operative survival and tumor response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy
- Basic research
- Study of the role of cell death mechanisms (apoptosis, autophagy, necrosis) in cancer response to radiotherapy (cell cultures, xenografts)
- Study of tumor metabolism and immune response
- Study of normal tissue toxicity after exposure to radiotherapy – development of biological radioprotection methods
Collaborations with International Centers
“Close, long-standing collaboration with the University of Oxford (Adrian L. Harris, Professor of Medical Oncology and Director of the CR UK Molecular Oncology Laboratory IMM) in the field of clinical-laboratory (translational) research.”
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