Prof. Bünyamin Kaplan, MD

Prof. Bünyamin Kaplan, MD is a radiation oncologist practicing in the Radiation Oncology unit at Acibadem Kayseri Hospital in Kayseri, Turkey. With more than 36 years in medicine, his work centers on radiotherapy for cancer, including the treatment of brain tumors and breast cancer, brachytherapy, and 3-D computerized treatment planning.

Dr. Kaplan graduated from Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine in 1990 and completed his specialty training in Radiation Oncology at the same faculty in 1996. During this period he completed a Medical Oncology rotation (1993) and a Brachytherapy/3-D Computerized Planning rotation (1995) at İstanbul University Oncology Institute. His academic career has been based at Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, where he began as a research assistant in 1992 and held successive appointments up to the rank of professor, a title he has held since 2010. From 2000 to 2001 he was a Visiting Scientist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA. He worked part-time at Acıbadem Kayseri Hospital from 2009 to 2017 and at Medipol Mega Hospital, İstanbul from 2017 to 2019, before returning to Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine in 2019. He is a member of the Turkish Oncology Association, the Radyasyon Onkolojisi Association, the Turkish Cancer Research and Control Institution, and the Experimental and Clinical Research Association.

Clinical focus

Dr. Kaplan’s clinical practice covers radiation oncology across a range of cancer diagnoses. His stated areas of expertise include radiotherapy for brain tumors and breast cancer, as well as brachytherapy, in which a radiation source is placed close to or inside the area being treated. He also works with 3-D computerized treatment planning, a method used to shape the radiation dose to the target while taking surrounding tissues into account. Radiotherapy decisions depend on the individual diagnosis, stage and prior treatment, and are generally made together with other members of an oncology team.

His published research reflects a broad interest in radiation oncology. Co-authored papers have examined concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, prognostic factors in elderly lung cancer patients, the effect of radiotherapy dose rates on early intestinal toxicity, nutritional status and psychiatric disorders in patients treated for head and neck cancer, and survival in patients with gastric cancer receiving adjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

How Dr. Kaplan works with international patients

Dr. Kaplan consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and 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 radiotherapy options relevant to the diagnosis. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their case before traveling.