Each May, communities come together to honor Brain Tumor Awareness Month by spotlighting those impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis and the need for greater understanding of the disease and its treatment options.
Columbus CyberKnife is joining the efforts to increase understanding for one specific case – recurrent brain tumors. Recurrent brain tumors occur when a tumor grows back in the same area of the brain. In these cases, patients may be presented with treatment options including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Patients with recurrent brain tumors may find they are unable or unwilling to undergo certain treatments for the second time, given the brain is one of the most vital organs and additional treatment could impact cognitive function. In cases where patients have limited options, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) may be an option.
Our center delivers SRS using the CyberKnife® system, an advanced technology that has particular advantages for treating areas of the body that have been previously treated with surgery or radiation.
For example, a patient with a recurrent brain tumor who previously received whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) potentially has limited options as large margins of normal brain tissue are exposed to radiation during WBRT. Further treatment may result in cognitive and functional decline. However, CyberKnife radiosurgery may be an option even after previous WBRT treatment. CyberKnife has the ability to pinpoint precise locations in the brain and deliver targeted doses of radiation with extreme accuracy. This minimizes exposure to surrounding healthy tissue and may reduce overall side effects of retreatment.
To learn more about retreatment with CyberKnife, contact our center or read our blog post on how CyberKnife can help when cancer comes back.
This is not intended as medical advice to replace the expertise and judgment of your health care team. It is intended to help you and your family make informed decisions, together with your doctor.