Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) uses many precisely focused radiation beams to treat tumors in the brain.
It is not surgery. Stereotactic radiosurgery uses 3D imaging to target high doses of radiation to the affected area with minimal effect on the surrounding healthy tissue. Like other forms of radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery functions by destroying the DNA of the tumor cells and makes it shrink.
When performed in a single session, it is called stereotactic radiosurgery(SRS) and when performed in three to five sessions, it is called fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). When stereotactic radiation is used to treattumors in the body other than the brain, it's called stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR).
There are three types of technology to perform radiation during stereotactic radiosurgery in the brain and other parts of the body:
Immobilizing the head is done by us in gamask, specifically formed to fit your head, which helps position your head in the exact precise location for treatment. The specialized equipment precisely focuses many small radiation beams on the tumor. Each beam has minimal effect on the tissue it passes through; a targeted dose of radiation is delivered to the site where all the beams intersect.
The precision of stereotactic radiosurgery causes very minimal damage to the healthy surrounding tissues.
When stereotactic radiation is performed in three to five sessions, it is called fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy(SRT).
When performed on the body other than the brain, the treatment is referred to as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or stereotactic ablation radiotherapy (SABR).
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy typically involves between one and five sessions.
It is used in the cancers of lungs, spine, neck, liver, lymph nodes, and other soft tissues.
Authored by Dr K Srinivas Rao - Best Radiation Oncologist in Gachibowli, Hyderabad