What are stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy?
Stereotactic (or stereotaxic) radiosurgery uses a large dose of radiation to destroy tumor tissue in the brain. The procedure does not involve actual surgery. The patient’s head is placed in a special frame, which is attached to the patient’s skull. The frame is used to aim high-dose radiation beams directly at the tumor inside the patient’s head. The dose and area receiving the radiation are coordinated very precisely. Most nearby tissues are not damaged by this procedure. Stereotactic radiosurgery can be done in one of three ways. The most common technique uses a linear accelerator to administer high-energy photon radiation to the tumor (called “linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery”). The gamma knife, the second most common technique, uses cobalt 60 to deliver radiation. The third technique uses heavy charged particle beams (such as protons and helium ions) to deliver stereotactic radiation to the tumor. Stereotactic radiosurgery is mostly used in the treatment of small benign and m
