Radiosurgery
The possibility of radiosurgery completely changes the way patients with cancer are treated. This method of radiation treatment has practically no limitations in its use. When using radiosurgery, hospitalization is not required, since treatment takes place on an outpatient basis. A distinctive feature of stereotactic radiotherapy techniques is the conformal irradiation of the tumor with minimal impact on surrounding tissues and high accuracy of positioning the radiation target. This ensures a minimal risk of radiation reactions and complications with maximum impact on the pathological formation. The effect of this technique has been proven by studies in leading clinics in the USA, Europe, and Israel.
EMC uses the latest generation of EDGE and TrueBeam medical accelerators manufactured by Varian Medical Systems (USA) to perform stereotactic radiosurgery.
EMC Radiotherapy Center specialists, who have completed training and internships in leading clinics in Israel, Europe and the USA, have significant experience in conducting treatment using SBRT and SRS techniques.
What is stereotactic radiosurgery?
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a technique in which a neoplasm (usually no more than 4 cm in diameter) is destroyed under the influence of a high dose of precision radiation with minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissues. This technique, despite its name, does not involve surgical intervention. Radiosurgery is an absolutely painless procedure.
There are two areas of radiosurgery, namely stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumors (SRS) and extracranial stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT).
- Radiosurgical treatment requires three-dimensional and/or four-dimensional CT simulations to accurately determine the location, configuration and size of the neoplasm and the use of a device to immobilize the patient in order to reproduce the patient's position during radiotherapy identically.
- Precision (accuracy) of therapy is ensured by accurately reproducing the patient's placement using fixation devices and optical monitoring of tumor localization during the entire radiotherapy session.
Radiosurgical treatment is used:
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When the neoplasm is located in places inaccessible for surgical treatment.
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In the case when neoplasms are located close to vital organs and structures.
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For tumors that change their position depending on respiration.
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SBS and SBRT are alternative therapies for patients who, for some reason, are contraindicated in surgical treatment.
When the SRS is applied:
1. Metastases of malignant tumors in the brain
2. All benign brain tumors:
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neurinomas of the auditory nerve and other cranial nerves
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meningiomas of any localization
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pineal gland neoplasms
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tumors of the pituitary gland
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craniopharyngiomas
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chords
3. Arterio-venous malformations and cavernous angiomas
4. Trigeminal neuralgia
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Neoplasms and metastatic lesions of the brain and spinal cord
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Recurrence of primary brain tumors
Indications for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT):
- Metastatic tumors of the spine
- Neoplasms and metastases of the lungs
- Primary and metastatic malignant neoplasms of the liver
- Neoplasms of the bile ducts
- Neoplasms of the pancreas
- Localized prostate cancer
- Localized kidney cancer
- Neoplasms of the retroperitoneal space
- Neoplasms of the female genital organs
- Neoplasms of the base of the skull
- Neoplasms of the orbit
- Primary and recurrent neoplasms of the nasopharynx, oral cavity, paranasal sinuses, larynx
How does radiosurgical treatment work?
Radiosurgery can be performed in 1-5 treatment procedures (the number of sessions depends on the size of the irradiated focus).CT simulation is performed before starting treatment. Radiosurgical treatment requires the correct position of the patient's body on the table, and locking devices are used for this purpose. Next, three-dimensional and / or "four-dimensional" computed tomography is performed, which allows you to create several images of the irradiated volume in motion, for example, when breathing. This is of great importance in the presence of neoplasms in organs that change their location in accordance with the phases of respiration (lungs, liver, etc.).
After CT simulation, a treatment plan is created. The radiotherapist and the dosimetric physicist create a plan in such a way as to bring the configuration of the beam of rays as close as possible to the parameters of the tumor. With SRS and SBRT, radiotherapy is performed using the latest generation of linear accelerators.
Before therapy, the patient is placed on a table using a fixation device manufactured during CT simulation, after which an image is taken. Based on the results of the image, the radiologist changes the position of the patient on the table. The treatment session lasts about an hour.
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