One hundred years of radiotherapy in Turkey

The study and practice of radiology in Turkey began in 1897, only 2 years after the discovery of X-rays. A simple X-ray machine was constructed in Istanbul, consisting of a Crookes tube, a Ruhmkorff coil, and a home-made battery. This machine was first used on wounded soldiers, for diagnostic purposes. The first report of X-rays being used therapeutically in Turkey was published in a national journal in 1904. By 1933, the most up-to-date radiotherapy equipment of the time had been installed in every major city in the country. Innovative radiotherapy techniques, such as rotational treatment, were also being tried in 1930s. Today, there are 45 radiotherapy centres in Turkey, and 400 radiation oncologists and 80 medical physicists practise there.