Advantages of Radiosurgery
- High success rate for tumors
- Intracranial or extracranial sites
- Higher doses than conventional radiation
- Effective even after conventional radiation fails
- Can treat several tumors in one session
- Can be repeated
- Non-invasive, can be used when conventional surgery prohibited
- Less risk of bleeding, infection or anesthesia
- Usually requires one to five days as outpatient
- Can be used to treat infants and children
Numerous Conditions Treated
Radiosurgery can offer effective treatment of many conditions that are inoperable or untreatable with conventional therapy. Some of these conditions include:
Metastatic Brain Tumors. Rates of local control are high, even with ‘radioresistant’ tumors such as renal cell carcinoma. Response is often good even after conventional radiotherapy has failed, and multiple sites are easily and safely treated.
Primary Brain Tumors. Radiosurgery can provide local control of primary brain tumors such as high grade gliomas, medulloblastomas and ependymomas.
Extracranial Sites. The most exciting new application of radiosurgical technique is to tumors of the lung, liver, kidney, prostate, pancreas, and other organs. Baylor Radiosurgery Specialists is participating in national protocols for these new options.
Spinal Tumors. Using the advanced tracking system of the CyberKnife®, metastatic and other lesions around – or even within- the spinal cord can be treated while minimizing dose to the cord itself.
High-risk Patients. Because radiosurgery is non-invasive, it can be offered to patients who are unable to undergo conventional surgery for medical reasons.
Meningiomas and Skull-base Tumors. Radiosurgery can provide long-lasting local control, especially for residual tumors that cannot be safely removed by surgery.
Pituitary Tumors. Radiosurgery can be effective for control of both tumor size and unwanted hormonal secretion.
Acoustic Neuromas. Control rates are high and risk to the facial nerve is low.
Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs). Radiosurgery can be effective for obliterating small, deep seated AVMs not amenable to surgical resection.
Trigeminal Neuralgia. Radiosurgery can be effective for relieving the facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia when other methods have failed or when surgery is contraindicated for medical reasons.
