Radiation Therapy for Brain Tumors: Procedures We Offer
With years of experience, our highly trained radiation oncologists skillfully target brain tumors with advanced radiation therapies using the most advanced radiation techniques for safer treatment. Our goal is to effectively treat your brain tumor while sparing healthy tissue to preserve brain function.
The types of therapies we use in radiation treatment include:
- CyberKnife: Developed right here at Stanford, this noninvasive, robotic stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) system delivers targeted radiation directly to tumors without the need for incisions. Our radiation specialists can use high doses of radiation while sparing nearby healthy brain tissue, helping preserve brain function and minimize side effects.
- External-beam radiation: Radiation beams delivered from a machine outside the body known as a linear accelerator. At Stanford, some types of external-beam radiation we use include:
- IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy): Technology that shapes the radiation beam to conform to the tumor’s shape by adjusting the intensity of the beam, which helps focus more radiation on the tumor and avoid healthy tissue.
- VMAT (volumetric-modulated arc therapy): The most advanced version of IMRT in which the machine rotates around the patient, resulting in shorter treatment time.
- Whole-brain radiation: External-beam radiation delivered to the entire brain, which may be used to treat multiple tumors in different locations. Whole-brain radiation is often delivered in fractionated doses for safer treatment with smaller amounts of radiation at each treatment.