Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery relies on 3-D imaging to locate the tumor and precisely define its size and shape. Doctors use these images to target the area to be treated and plan the treatment, including how many doses are needed. The high-energy X-rays are delivered through a linear accelerator, which provides the highest level of precision, speed, and patient comfort. Imaging takes place during treatment; your position is adjusted to ensure you are in exactly the correct position throughout delivery of the radiation.

Maximizing Your Comfort
Staying immobile during the procedure is very important to ensure the precise delivery of the treatment. Hospitals that use the Gamma Knife to perform radiosurgery keep patients immobile by pinning a head frame to the skull. At Duke, we use a different device to perform most stereotactic radiosurgery. Instead of pinning a head frame to your skull, a custom-molded plastic mask is used to immobilize your head, which maximizes your comfort.

Scheduled in Combination with Other Treatments
One of the benefits of stereotactic radiosurgery is that it can be timed in between or during cycles of chemotherapy. This minimizes delay of other effective treatments that are part of your treatment plan.

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
Stereotactic radiosurgery used for body areas outside the brain is called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). It can be used to treat spine, lung, and liver tumors.

Initial Consultation

You and your family will meet with a radiation oncologist who will review the specific benefits of using this treatment for your condition. He/she will explain how stereotactic radiosurgery fits into your overall treatment plan and will review the potential side effects.

Planning Session

One planning session will take place before the actual treatment. If you are being treated for a brain tumor, a customized plastic mask will be created to hold your head in position. The type of immobilization used depends on the location and the reason for treatment. CT and MRI scans will aid in the planning process.

Treatment Sessions

The number of treatment sessions can range from one to five. Treatment sessions run about 45 minutes but may be longer, depending on the size and number of tumors treated.

• Radiation oncologists -- Use radiation to treat cancer and other conditions
• Neurosurgeons -- Use surgery and radiosurgery to treat brain and spine disease
• Radiation physicists and dosimetrists -- Help the radiation oncologists plan the treatment and perform quality assurance on all plans 
• Radiation therapists -- Administer the treatments 
• Nurses (RN and/or nurse practitioners) -- Provide care during radiation treatments

Safety and Quality Assurance
We perform extensive quality assurance checks to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of each and every treatment.

Expertise and Experience
Our skill and training enable us to treat people who are sometimes turned away at other hospitals because their tumors are too large, too numerous, too rare, or too complex.

Clinical Trial Access
You may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial that is testing new radiation therapies and techniques, as well as novel drugs in combination with radiotherapy.