Stereotactic Radiosurgery Enables Effective, Noninvasive Treatment for Spinal Tumors

Leading experts in radiosurgery of the spine recently presented data during a US neurosurgical meeting about how to treat spinal tumors effectively using stereotactic radiosurgery instead of invasive surgical procedures.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), held in April 2012 in Miami (FL, USA). New techniques in image-guided radiosurgical treatment of benign and malignant spinal lesions were the focus of a special workshop for neurosurgeons.

“The ability to treat a vertebral body tumor using stereotactic radiosurgery has drastically changed the field of spinal oncology,” said Jason Andrew Weaver, MD, neurosurgeon with the Semmes Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute (Memphis, TN, USA), who demonstrated the use of Eclipse treatment planning software from Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, USA) during the workshop.

“We can use stereotactic radiosurgery to treat many spinal tumors that would otherwise have required an invasive operation. Studies have now shown that these patients may be able to expect good long-term disease control as well as excellent levels of neurological functioning after treatment,” Dr. Weaver said, referencing papers by Mark H. Bilsky, MD and Peter C. Gerszten, MD, who are codirecting the AANS workshop on spinal radiosurgery.

Although they have worked with cobalt-based and robotic systems for stereotactic radiosurgery in the past, Dr. Weaver and his colleagues are now performing most of their radiosurgery procedures using Varian technology. “Varian’s Trilogy machine, plus Eclipse for treatment planning, have been become our mainstays for treating both brain and spine tumors with stereotactic radiosurgery,” he said. “It’s a very user friendly and intuitive system.”

Stereotactic radiosurgery involves delivering very high doses of radiation quickly, using carefully shaped beams that focus on the tumor and minimize exposure of surrounding tissues and organs. This contrasts with traditional radiotherapy, which involves delivering only a small dose each day over a period of many weeks. According to Dr. Weaver, tumors of all types, including renal cell carcinoma and others that can be resistant to conventional radiotherapy have been shown to respond very well to radiosurgical procedures that deliver a very high dose quickly.

“Radiosurgery for the ablation of spinal tumors is becoming a more and more common approach,” said Calvin Huntzinger, MS, senior director of surgical sciences at Varian. “We’re gratified to see the increasing level of attention being paid to radiosurgery as a viable option for treating certain types of tumors, at neurosurgery programs like the annual AANS meeting.”

Varian’s Trilogy medical linear accelerator was developed to provide stereotactic radiosurgery and precision radiotherapy for lesions, tumors, and conditions anywhere in the body where radiation treatment is indicated. It is not indicated for all types of cancer. Stereotactic radiosurgery to the spine has been shown, in numerous clinical studies, to have minimal side effects. The most common ones are fatigue and temporary skin irritation, such as redness, scaliness, dryness, and itching in the area of the treated area.

Related Links:
Semmes Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute
Varian Medical Systems