Radiosurgery Effective for Treatment of Spinal Tumors

Following the treatment of 100 patients with spinal tumors, doctors have found that stereotactic radiosurgery using the CyberKnife can be performed safely, accurately, and effectively.

Stereotactic radiosurgery involves the use of precise targeting and multiple beams of high-dose radiation to ablate tumors and other lesions noninvasively. The CyberKnife can perform single-session or staged radiosurgery on lesions located anywhere in the body through the use of image guidance and robotics. The treatment of 100 patients took place over the last 14 months at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC, PA, USA).

"The major potential benefits of radiosurgical ablation of spinal lesions are short treatment time in an outpatient setting with no recovery time and good treatment effect,” said Peter Gerstzen, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Gerstzen has pioneered spinal treatments with the CyberKnife at UPMC.

In the past, radiosurgery was used primarily to treat brain lesions because it required the use of a metal frame to achieve accuracy in radiation targeting. The CyberKnife replaces the frame with an advanced image-guidance system that uses bony landmarks or small, embedded markers to target the radiation. The CyberKnife is manufactured and distributed worldwide by Accuray, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA, USA).





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