Prof. Banu Atalar, MD

Prof. Banu Atalar, MD is a radiation oncologist with more than 21 years in medicine. She studied at Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine from 1993 to 1999 and completed her specialty training in Radiation Oncology at Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine in 2004. She then worked as a Radiation Oncology Specialist at V.K.V. Italian and American Hospitals from 2005 to 2008 and at Göztepe Medical Park Hospital from 2008 to 2009, before joining Acibadem Health Group in 2009, where she continues to practice in the Radiation Oncology unit.

Her academic career has developed in parallel with her clinical work. Dr. Atalar received an Assistant Professorship in 2009, an Associate Professorship in 2013 and a Professorship in 2018, all from Acibadem University. In 2011 she spent time at Stanford University Department of Radiation Oncology. She is a member of the Turkish Medical Association, the Turkish Society of Radiation Oncology, the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), where she is also an International Affairs Advisory Group Member, IASLC (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer) and RCN (Rare Cancer Network).

Clinical focus

Dr. Atalar’s clinical work centers on modern radiotherapy techniques and their use in a range of cancers. Her listed procedures include intraoperative radiotherapy, brachytherapy, robotic radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung cancer, volumetric modulated arc therapy and 3D conformal arc radiotherapy. The conditions she treats include recurrent rectal cancer, inoperable cervical cancer, head and neck paragangliomas, non-small cell lung cancer, brain metastases and glioblastoma multiforme with spinal metastasis.

Her published work reflects these areas. She has co-authored papers on intraoperative radiotherapy in recurrent rectal cancer, brachytherapy for inoperable cervical cancer, robotic radiosurgery of head and neck paragangliomas, and radiosurgery combined with erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer with multiple brain metastases. Further publications address treatment planning for stereotactic lung radiotherapy, including a comparison of 3D conformal arc and VMAT SBRT plans, the tolerance of the visual pathway to stereotactic radiosurgery, FDG uptake on PET/CT in cervical cancer, the linguistic validation of a Turkish head and neck cancer symptom inventory, and a case of glioblastoma multiforme with spinal extension metastasis. Treatment decisions in radiation oncology depend on the type and stage of disease, prior treatments and the patient’s general condition, so each case is assessed individually.

How Dr. Atalar works with international patients

Dr. Atalar consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. The Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, arranges appointments and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the available options. For patients abroad, a video consultation is available, which allows an initial conversation with Dr. Atalar and a review of existing documents before any decision about traveling is made.