What is Stereotactic Radiotherapy?

Often referred to as SRT, this therapy delivers small individual doses of radiation over multiple treatment sessions, so that the total accumulated dose is larger. It’s a precise and accurate delivery system. The overall total dose is higher than with a Stereotactic Radiosurgery treatment.

Each SRT treatment is called a "fraction" and is sometimes called "fractionated" therapy. SRT combines the precision of Radiosurgery with fractionated radiation improving the delivery over standard radiation therapy.

A dose of radiation damages cells, specifically the cell’s DNA. Normal cells can repair this damage while tumor cells are less able to. While a tumor is precisely targeted with SRT, some healthy tissue receives a small amount of radiation, is damaged, and will begin to repair itself. Each treatment damages the abnormal tissue even more. The healthy tissue recovers, the diseased tissue does not.

What is Stereotactic Radiosurgery?

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) uses Turville Bay’s computer guided radiation therapy system, directing highly focused beams of radiation into tumors and other abnormalities of the head and neck. SRS is a non-surgical method and utilizes a LINAC Scalpel, or Stereotactic linear accelerator. It delivers high doses of radiation to a specific area within the head and brain. Unlike SRT, all the radiation in the Radiosurgery treatment is delivered in fewer fractions directly to the area of the tumor or abnormality. Very little radiation reaches normal brain structures or tissue, and there is virtually no recovery time. Radiosurgery is ideal for treating arteriovenous malformations, acoustic neuromas, and tumors located deep within the brain.