Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)

Offered at only a limited number of hospitals in the area, this technique is designed to deliver radiation therapy with extreme precision to tumors anywhere in the body in five or fewer treatments. SBRT incorporates new technologies such as variable dose rate and real time tracking to achieve the high accuracy needed to deliver this exact form of treatment.

This technology can deliver radiation with millimeter precision. Tumors are tracked in real-time during the delivery of radiation, so that any movement of a tumor or patient, even by the smallest amount, can be detected and robotically adjusted for. This technique allows for higher doses of radiation to be administered precisely to cancerous cells.

Stereotactic radiation treatments that could take 45 minutes or longer using other forms of radiation therapy can now be delivered in a fraction of that time. In addition, patients require fewer treatments due to its greater precision and higher doses of radiation. The majority of prostate cancers can now be treated in just five visits, as opposed to the traditional 40. Fewer treatments and less time in the department are much more convenient for the patient. This technology can also be used in the treatment of some breast, lung, bone, and pancreatic cancers as well as cancer recurrences or previously irradiated tumors.