The procedure of stereotactic radiotherapy uses radiation beams from various positions around the body. High dose of radiation is directed to the tumours, while lower doses of the beams are focused on the surrounding tissues to help minimize any side effects.
The purpose of Stereotactic radiotherapy is to treat cancer in the lung, lymph nodes, spinal cord tumours and the liver, or cancer that has spread outside the body. Stereotactic radiation therapy is also known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.
It is important to keep your head still during stereotactic radiotherapy. A type of head frame and stereotactic mask are used. It should be noted that the procedure has fewer side effects compared to the usual radiotherapy process. Stereotactic radiotherapy side effects are less likely to show signs of sickness, hair loss, or reddening of the skin. Before stereotactic radiotherapy, there are specific planning and preparations to be taken.
Before the Treatment
Planning SRT treatment involves several steps:
- First, you have a CT scan along with MRI and PET scans of the various areas of your body. The information collected from the scan is transferred to a radiotherapy planning computer.
- After studying the results, the tumours are spotted within the radiation beams and the healthy tissues are also noted to determine a treatment to help kill the tumours without affecting healthy tissues.
- The radiographer marks those parts of the skin that need the therapy.
- Before getting a conformal therapy to your neck and head, it is important to wear a plastic mould during the procedure. While some types of masks are see-through, some aren’t. The masks or moulds help to keep the treatment areas right in the position.
- The doctors or radiographers may insert small metal markers by using a needle through the skin over the tumour. The procedure is done during an ultrasound to help the doctors release small rods or gold pellets with the markers for the treatment. This type of procedure helps to target only the cancerous areas.
- After the planning session, you may have to wait up to 2 weeks during which your physicist will create a treatment plan for you. After waiting for some time, you will get the first dose of radiotherapy.
Planning SRT treatment involves several steps:
- First, you have a CT scan along with MRI and PET scans of the various areas of your body. The information collected from the scan is transferred to a radiotherapy planning computer.
- After studying the results, the tumours are spotted within the radiation beams and the healthy tissues are also noted to determine a treatment to help kill the tumours without affecting healthy tissues.
- The radiographer marks those parts of the skin that need the therapy.
- Before getting a conformal therapy to your neck and head, it is important to wear a plastic mould during the procedure. While some types of masks are see-through, some aren’t. The masks or moulds help to keep the treatment areas right in the position.
- The doctors or radiographers may insert small metal markers by using a needle through the skin over the tumour. The procedure is done during an ultrasound to help the doctors release small rods or gold pellets with the markers for the treatment. This type of procedure helps to target only the cancerous areas.
- After the planning session, you may have to wait up to 2 weeks during which your physicist will create a treatment plan for you. After waiting for some time, you will get the first dose of radiotherapy.
In case of stereotactic radiotherapy:
- On the day of the treatment, you are asked to lie down in the right position. You are left alone in the room after your staff leaves. It may take 15 minutes up to 2 hours to perform the procedure during which you are allowed to take short breaks.
- While you lie down, you can interact with your radiographer via an intercom. He will watch you on a closed circuit television screen. However, it is important that you lie down very still and do not move the least.
- During the procedure, the machine beeps occasionally.
- After the treatment is over, the radiographer helps you get down from the treatment couch.
The recovery of Stereotactic radiotherapy is quick. Patients are usually allowed to go home on the same day. Follow-up appointments, imaging and other tests are required to check if the patient is improving gradually. It has been researched and found that this type of treatment helps to extend the length of survival for cancer patients.
