M e s o t h e l i o m a

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’ 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 malignant brain tumors (including meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, and pituitary cancer). It can also be used to treat other conditions (for example, Parkinson disease and epilepsy). In addition, stereotactic radiosurgery can be used to treat metastatic brain tumors (cancer that has spread to the brain from another part of the body) either alone or along with whole-brain radiation therapy. (Whole-brain radiation therapy is a form of external radiation therapy that treats the entire brain with radiation).
Stereotactic radiotherapy uses essentially the same approach as stereotactic radiosurgery to deliver radiation to the target tissue. However, stereotactic radiotherapy uses multiple small fractions of radiation as opposed to one large dose. Giving multiple smaller doses may improve outcomes and minimize side effects. Stereotactic radiotherapy is used to treat tumors in the brain as well as other parts of the body.
Clinical trials are under way to study the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy alone and in combination with other types of radiation therapy.