Hearing that you or a loved one has a brain tumor can feel overwhelming and scary. Your mind likely jumps straight to the thought of a major open-brain operation with long recovery times.
Medical science has advanced greatly over recent years. Doctors do not always need to perform traditional open surgery to treat delicate areas inside your head.
This complete guide explores Stereotactic Radiosurgery, a specialized medical approach that uses precise radiation beams instead of a surgical blade to treat brain tumors and other conditions.
Key Takeaways
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a non-invasive radiation therapy, not a traditional surgical procedure with scalpels or cuts.
- It focuses multiple precise radiation beams onto a tumor while sparing surrounding healthy brain tissue from significant damage.
- Patients typically experience no pain during the procedure and often go home on the very same day.
- Doctors use SRS for both cancerous and non-cancerous brain tumors, as well as blood vessel and nerve issues.
- Open communication with your medical team helps ease anxiety and prepares you for every step of the treatment process.
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What is Stereotactic Radiosurgery?
The word "surgery" is part of the name, but this is not a traditional operation where a doctor uses a knife and makes a physical cut in your skin.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a highly advanced form of radiation therapy. Special medical equipment directs many fine beams of high-dose radiation precisely at the tumor inside your brain.
Imagine multiple tiny laser beams coming from different angles and meeting at one exact spot where the tumor lives. The tumor receives a very strong dose of radiation.
Meanwhile, the healthy brain tissue surrounding the tumor receives very little radiation exposure. Protecting healthy tissue is the biggest advantage of this modern medical treatment.
Even though the name includes 'surgery,' no actual cutting takes place. This makes the procedure much lower risk than standard open surgery.
Conditions Treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery
If you have a brain tumor, but a standard surgical operation is too risky, your doctor might recommend SRS. For example, the tumor might sit deep inside the brain or close to a vital blood vessel or nerve.
Treating these hard-to-reach areas without making an open incision is much safer. Doctors also use SRS to destroy remaining cancer cells after an initial surgery.
Medical professionals use SRS for both cancerous (malignant) tumors and non-cancerous (benign) growths.
| Common Condition Treated with SRS | Medical Category |
|---|---|
| Acoustic neuroma | Non-cancerous nerve tumor |
| Chordoma | Rare skull base tumor |
| Craniopharyngioma | Rare pituitary-region tumor |
| Glioblastoma | Aggressive brain cancer |
| Glioma | Brain and spinal cord tumor |
| Hemangioblastoma | Vascular tumor |
| Meningioma | Membrane-lining brain tumor |
| Metastatic brain tumors | Cancer spread from other body parts |
| Pineoblastoma | Rare pineal gland tumor |
| Pituitary adenoma | Hormone-producing gland tumor |
Doctors also use SRS to stop bleeding risks from tangled blood vessels called Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs). Also, it treats severe nerve pain conditions like Trigeminal neuralgia by stopping pain signals from reaching your brain.
Sometimes doctors use this technology to treat tumors outside the brain, such as growths in the liver, lungs, or pancreas. This variation is called Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT).
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Check Availability →Preparing for Your Treatment
Your medical team will guide you through proper preparation steps to ensure everything goes smoothly. They will typically perform several important tasks before treatment day:
- Review your complete medical history and current health status.
- Explain the procedure clearly so you know what to expect from start to finish.
- Instruct you on when to stop eating and drinking prior to your appointment.
- Advise you whether you need to pause any regular medicines beforehand.
- Give you instructions on what to wear on treatment day, such as avoiding makeup, jewelry, or hair products.
What Happens During the Procedure?
During SRS, you rest inside the treatment room while your medical team operates the machine from a separate control room. They monitor you through a computer screen displaying your brain tumor coordinates to ensure precise radiation delivery.
The exact treatment experience depends on the specific type of machine your hospital uses. Three main machine types exist in modern medicine.
| SRS Machine Type | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Gamma Knife® | You lie on a special table while a lightweight head frame or custom mask keeps your head still. The table moves your head into the machine, which focuses gamma radiation beams on the tumor. |
| Linear Accelerator (LINAC) | A robotic arm rotates in arcs around your head to deliver radiation from multiple angles. This equipment is also known by brand names like Cyberknife®. |
| Proton Therapy | An advanced and less common method that directs high-energy proton particle streams directly into the tumor site with high precision. |
Steps of the Procedure
1. Communication: Your team will show you how an intercom system lets you talk with them at any time during the session.
2. Positioning: Staff will help you lie down and secure your head with a frame or mesh mask. Remaining completely still is vital to prevent radiation from touching healthy tissue.
3. Imaging Scans: Doctors perform detailed imaging scans like an MRI or CT scan to locate the exact position of your tumor.
4. Treatment Planning: Computers use your scan results to map out exact radiation beam angles. Your doctor decides whether to deliver a single high dose or divide treatment across multiple sessions.
5. Radiation Delivery: The machine delivers treatment according to the planned map. You will not feel any pain during this time. You might hear clicking or humming sounds as the machine operates.
The entire process usually takes between one to four hours from start to finish.
What Happens After Treatment?
Most people can return home on the same day following their treatment session. However, your medical team may keep you at the hospital for a few hours to monitor for any immediate side effects.
Common mild side effects include:
- Feeling tired or fatigued.
- Mild headaches.
- Nausea or stomach upset.
- Temporary hair loss in the specific treatment area.
- Mild skin irritation on the scalp.
These symptoms typically fade away within a few days to two or three weeks. If hair loss occurs, it usually starts growing back within two to three months. Your doctor can prescribe medicines to help manage any discomfort.
You will return for a follow-up checkup in about a month. Doctors schedule follow-up scan tests after several months to check how the tumor is responding. Cancerous tumors usually shrink over a few months. This non-cancerous tumors may take one to two years to show changes.
When to Call Your Doctor
If you experience unusual symptoms that persist or new signs develop after treatment, contact your doctor right away. Swelling inside the brain can sometimes occur after radiation therapy.
Doctors can treat brain swelling with prescription medicines such as Corticosteroids. Depending on your needs, your care team may also recommend supportive therapies like Speech therapy or Occupational therapy.
Call emergency services right away (dial 911 in the US/Canada, 999 in the UK, or go to your nearest Emergency Department) if you experience severe symptoms such as sudden confusion, seizures, severe weakness on one side of your body, or sudden vision loss.
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