Services & Technology
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Fractionated Radiation (SRT)
This treatment is used for small brain tumors, typically in patients whose brain tumors have spread to the brain from elsewhere in the body. However, this technique can sometimes be used to treat primary lesions as well as benign brain tumors such as meningiomas and acoustic neuromas. Stereotactic radiosurgery can be performed with a CyberKnife or a more traditional linear accelerator.
The treatment employs very narrow and tightly controlled beams of radiation that deliver a very large dose to the tumor in a single treatment session, while significantly reducing exposure to adjacent uninvolved tissue. One of these treatments is normally enough to eradicate a small tumor; and often can obviate the need for invasive surgery. The patient arrives early in the morning for a CT scan, and is treated in the afternoon, after the customized planning is complete. At the end of the day, the patient can usually go home. This is often an excellent alternative to a course of 3D conformal radiation which can last up to six weeks. Using the same technology as SRS and imparting similar benefits, stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy (SRT) can be used for larger tumors. It follows a more conventional course of 25-35 short daily treatment sessions, instead of a single all-day hospital visit.