Shaped-Beam Radiosurgery Saves More Healthy Tissue

Bahman Emami, chair, department of radiation oncology, Loyola University Health System (Maywood, IL, USA). "The technology delivers highly accurate doses of radiation to tumors subject to movement.”

Loyola has treated brain tumors with shaped-beam radiosurgery for two years. Now, the technology is expanded and upgraded for tumors and lesions in other areas of the body. The Novalis radiosurgery system used at Loyola was developed by BrainLab (Heimstetten, Germany).

"The system delivers a high dose of radiation to the tumor with pinpoint accuracy while minimizing radiation's effects on surrounding tissues,” said Dr. Emami. "The system continuously shapes the radiation treatment beam to match the size and dimensions of a patient's tumor from all angles.” This ensures that the tumor receives the full prescription dose while protecting nearby healthy tissue, especially important for irregularly shaped tumors,” Dr. Emami noted. Decreased side effects and better treatment outcomes are the result.

Virtually painless, the treatment is typically performed on an outpatient basis. The patient is awake throughout the procedure. Shaped-beam body radiosurgery and radiotherapy requires fewer treatments than standard radiotherapy (five sessions vs 33 sessions for a lung cancer). The system effectively targets irregularly shaped tumors, uses noninvasive immobilization techniques with real-time imaging for maximum accuracy and precision, and spares more normal tissue from radiation

Presently, Loyola utilizes shaped-beam noninvasive radiosurgery with pinpoint accuracy to treat brain and base-of-skull tumors with a precision of 1-mm, allowing sparing of nearby vital structures. To shape the beam for surgery, the system uses very fine leaves (3-mm wide) to parallel the contour of the tumor or lesion from any angle. A high-dose photon beam is delivered to the tumor or lesion through the shaping device. The new system also has the added capability to specifically position the patient for precise treatment of tumors within the body.


Related Links:
Loyola University Health System
BrainLab