UAB Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Overview of UAB Radiosurgery

UAB’s multidisciplinary program offers a painless, non-surgical option – and hope – for patients with certain tumors and other disorders anywhere in the body.

UAB’s state-of-the-art MRI or CT scans allow a team of nationally recognized physicians to determine the exact location and size of tumors. They then deliver a non-invasive treatment with highly focused radiation beams to precisely target tumors while sparing healthy surrounding tissue. Thus, patients benefit from a powerful combination of innovative treatment as well as expert collaborative care.

UAB has long been on the forefront of radiosurgery, having treated thousands of patients with a variety of technologies. Today, UAB still stands as a national leader, with the state’s first Tomotherapy www.health.uab.edu/tomotherapy guided radiation system and the only Gamma Knife treatment center in the state, all managed by a team of specialists committed to each patient’s total care and health.

  About Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)

Radiosurgery is highly focused radiation delivered by advanced, highly precise systems which produce impressive results with fewer side effects than traditional radiation therapy. It’s also an alternative and complement to open surgery for many conditions.

Historically the term radiosurgery has referred to a single treatment – most commonly in the brain. As technology has improved, tumors in other parts of the body can also be targeted. Those treatments may also be called stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT, and involve one to five treatments.

Types of Treatment:

• Gamma Knife
• Tomotherapy
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)

How Treatment is Determined
Patients referred to UAB for Radiosurgery are managed by both radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons, thus assuring unique and expert collaborative care.

Radiosurgery vs. traditional surgery: How to decide
The decision for traditional surgery vs. radiosurgery can be complex and should be discussed thoroughly with your treatment team.

Divisions

Neurosurgery
UAB’s internationally renowned neurosurgeons provide state-of-the-art and minimally-invasive surgery for complex neurological conditions, such as brain tumors, pituitary disorders and intracranial vascular abnormalities.

Radiation Oncology
The UAB Department of Radiation Oncology is one of the top in the country, recognized for its expert physicians and state-of-the-art treatments as well as ground-breaking research.