The expanding role of radiosurgery in the future of cancer treatment

In 2008, the American Cancer Society estimates about 2.5 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed, and about 565,650 Americans will die of their cancer. Although progress is being made in diagnosis and tumor imaging, as well as surgical, drug, and radiation therapies, there is still much room for improvement. 

One advancement is the ability to accurately and precisely apply an ablative radiation dose to select tumors in just single or very few treatment sessions. By focusing many small radiation beams onto the lesion, the radiation damage to the surrounding normal tissue is minimized. Named ‘stereotactic radiosurgery’ by its initial neurosurgical creator, this strategy has gained worldwide acceptance as a highly effective and safe treatment, in many instances replacing open surgical removal of tumors.

Initially limited to treatment of intracranial tumors, technological advancements in rapid 3D tumor imaging and computer-controlled robotics have enabled newer machines to apply radiosurgery to many tumors throughout the body. There are ongoing protocols assessing stereotactic radiosurgery for shrinking tumors prior to surgery, ensuring residual cancer cells don’t remain after surgery, comparing accelerated stereotactic radiation to conventional radiation delivered over 6-8 weeks, comparing radiosurgery to lung surgery and using radiosurgery as a stand alone treatment for certain types of cancers as well as some functional disorders and blood vessel malformations.

In any area of medicine using a new treatment modality, there is some unknown territory, but US Radiosurgery is working to provide useful resources that may help to shorten that timeframe. US Radiosurgery develops stereotactic radiosurgery facilities in partnership with hospitals, radiation oncologists and surgeons. This structure creates a team approach to patient treatment in which radiation oncologists work in cooperation with many surgical specialties including neurosurgeons, urologists, thoracic surgeons, otolaryngologists, and orthopedic surgeons to provide the most comprehensive treatment plan possible for each patient.

Furthermore, to maximize the clinical knowledge and enhance patient care in this growing field, US Radiosurgery has created a proprietary database of every tumor and condition treated in each of their facilities. By networking facilities together, physicians can use this information to make the most educated decision about treatment plans for their patients. This collaborative effort between multiple locations enables newer centers to benefit from the experience of those that have been operational longer and facilitates multi-institutional clinical trials necessary to advance and refine the role of radiosurgery for different cancers.

Given these recent advancements and the potential applications of this technology, it is an exciting time to be in medicine.