Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment in Tallahassee
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a method of treating brain tumors and other conditions using a very precise, focused, beam of radiation. Using stereotactic radiosurgery, very high doses of radiation can be delivered to a brain tumor, or other target in the head, with very high precision and with minimal radiation dose to the surrounding brain. Dr. Lawson performs these advanced procedures at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital’s Cancer Center. Despite the name, stereotactic radiosurgery is not really surgery in the traditional sense. It is not invasive. There is no scalpel or incision. In fact, the treatment usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes, and is painless. This is a very good treatment option for brain metastases, and other brain tumors where traditional surgical resection is difficult or unsafe. You can learn more about stereotactic radiosurgery at the American Brain Tumor Association website.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery is performed by a team of physicians, a Neurosurgeon and a Radiation Oncologist. The team includes a medical physicist as well. Dr. Lawson treats multiple different types of tumors and conditions with stereotactic radiosurgery, including:
- Brain Metastases
- Meningiomas
- Acoustic Neuromas / Vestibular Schwannomas
- Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM)
There are different systems that can perform stereotactic radiosurgery. The machines fall into two groups, based on the type of radiation used. One type of SRS that uses gamma rays is called the “Gamma Knife.” The second type of SRS uses high energy x-rays (photons), and the machines are called linear accelerators. There are several brands of linear
accelerator based radiosurgery machines on the market. Dr. Lawson utilizes the Novalis Tx system for stereotactic radiosurgery at TMH. Despite the multiple different SRS systems on the market, all utilize similar principles to deliver high doses of radiation to a target, and all have very good results. We prefer the Novalis Tx system for radiosurgery, because Novalis is a market leader in radiosurgery, with excellent clinical data and over 400 treatment centers worldwide. In Tallahassee, no neurosurgeon performs more radiosurgery procedures than Dr. Lawson. If you would like to learn more, or see if stereotactic radiosurgery is right for you, contact the office.