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Radiation Oncology Division
Chulalongkorn Hospital


The division of Radiation Oncology of the Chulalongkorn Hospital bought its first deep X-ray therapy machine in 1951. This machine, a General Electric’s Maximar 400, is still in use. In 1953, the hospital bought a Philips’ contact therapy machine for treatment of superficial and skin growths, and in 1955, a Siement’s Dermophos superficial therapy machine was the division next acquisition. Both machines also are still in use today.
As for Radium, the hospital prchased its first 150 milligrams in 1951. The amount was increased to 300 miligrams in 1953. Her Majesty the Queen graciously donated money to the Thai Red Cross for putchase of more radium in 1985 and Mr. Cheng-Long Poshyachinda donated 300,000 bahts for the same purpose in 1963. Now the hospital has a total of 820 miligrams of radium plus necessary equipments for radium application.
In 1958 the Thai Red Cross received a Cobalt-60 teletherapy unit model T-CO-400-1 from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This unit was the first Cobalt-60 teletherapy in Thailand, installed and in use since 1959, with replacement of active source by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the Union of Soviet Repulics in 1964, it has redered tremendous service to this hospital.
The availability of Deep X-ray therapy, Cobalt therapy and enough Radium to carry out radiotherapeutic work, the gradually increasing number of patients coming for treatment created a great demand for cancer wards. The ward space was made possible when Mr. Svasti Osathanugrah and his family donated the Svasti-Lom-Osathanugrah Biulding to the hospital, to commemorate Their Majesties’ return from Europe and America in 1960. This Building provided room for re-organization of the Radiology Department: Treatment of cancer was made more adequate, follow-ups were made easier, it enabled the setting up of a tumour registry for this hospital. Besides helping the Radiation Oncology division, it also serves to house our Radio-Isotopes division and provides room for expansion of the Diagnostic division. This building was inaugurated in 1963.
Because of technical reasons, a large Cobalt-60 teletherapy unit is ssential to cope with the wide range of cancer cases that come to the hospital. The department has repeatedly applied for technical asistance from the colombo Plan sicne 1959. The news of such a enerous gift of "Theratron 80" by the Government of Canada to our Government for Chulalongkorn Hospital was a most happy one. Right away, an annex to the old Cobalt biuding was constructed with His Majesty the King’s donation and Thai Red Cross money, to house the Theratron 80. This building joins the new wing to the old X-ray biulding, and provides essential working space needed for therapy technique and therapy personnel.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, in technical assistance, has sent us Mr. Paul M. Pfalzner and Dr. J.R. Clarkson , Medical Physicist Expert from Ontario, Canada and Sothampton,England respectively to initiate work and train our own physicists.
The installation of the Theratron 80 was completeed on June1 8, 1965. This 6000 curie teletherapy unit is a rotational one.
By the goverment annual budjet , a low dose rate and remote contolled of six channel machine with 38 sources of 40 mCi, the Selectron was bougth and used to treat two patients of carcinoma of cervix simultaneously in May 1985.
In 1988 Mrs. Permpool Wongwanich and her family donated the Luan- Permpool
Wongwanich Building to the hospital for housing the diagnostic equipments and 90 beds of in-patient of cancer .
In 1990 the Chulachakraponse Foundation donated the Elizabeth Chakraponse Building to install the dual energy linac, 6 and 10 MV photon as well as 6-20 MeV electron beam . The treatment simulator, the management system for high precision set up, the machine for tissue compensator design and the treatment planning were invested by the government value of 60 million bahts also be installed in the Elizabeth Chakraponse Building .
In order to expand our service to out-patients , in 1995 the Thai Red Cross bougth a high dose rate microSelectron for treatment of intraluminal and intracavitary cancer as well as patients of carcinoma of cervix. An iridium stepping source of 10 Ci is inserted into the patient body for 10 minutes and the treatment is completed.

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Last modified on 25 October 1996