onkommon.com
Local therapy
Stereotactic radiosurgery & SBRT
Very high dose radiation to a very small volume, in one to five sittings.
Opinion here · delivered at a partner centre
What it is
Stereotactic treatment concentrates a large radiation dose into a tightly defined target, with a steep fall-off outside it. Fewer sittings, much higher dose per sitting, far tighter margins.
It demands precise immobilisation and imaging at every session, which is why it is only delivered at centres set up for it.
When it is used
- Small, well-defined tumours, including in the brain
- A limited number of metastatic sites, where treating them all is realistic
- Where a patient cannot tolerate surgery
- Re-treatment in a previously irradiated area, in selected cases
How the decision is made
- Whether the target is genuinely well-defined and small enough, this is a planning question, not a preference.
- What has already been irradiated in that area, and what the cumulative dose to nearby structures would be.
- Whether treating a limited number of sites changes the plan, or simply delays a systemic decision.
At a partner radiation centre with stereotactic capability.
Who does what
What we handle, and what happens elsewhere
KPCIRC handles
- Indication and candidacy opinion
- Review of prior radiation and cumulative dose
- Sequencing against systemic therapy
- Post-treatment imaging schedule and late-effects surveillance
Performed and billed elsewhere
- Simulation, planning and delivery
- Immobilisation and imaging at each session
- Tell the team about every prior course of radiation, including years ago and at another hospital. Cumulative dose is the constraint that matters most here.
Questions to ask your own doctor
Take these with you. They work whether or not you are treated here.
- How many sittings, and over how many days?
- What is close to the target, and what dose will it receive?
- Have I had radiation to this area before, and does that limit us?
- What is this expected to achieve?
Support that goes with it
Where this is used
Cancers this commonly forms part of
Brain & CNS tumours
Glioma, meningioma, and other central nervous system tumours
Lung & thoracic cancer
Non-small cell and small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, thymic tumours
Liver cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC
Prostate cancer
Cancer of the prostate gland
Sarcoma & bone tumours
Soft-tissue sarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, GIST
Not sure this is the right option for you?
That is exactly what a second opinion is for. Bring what you have, we will tell you what is missing and what the alternatives actually are, in writing.