First hospital in the Ozarks to offer image-guided radiosurgery

Radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons at CoxHealth will attack brain tumors along with tumors in close proximity to the spinal cord more effectively and safely than ever with new technology that allows them to precisely contour high-energy radiation beams. The new m3 micro-Multileaf Collimator with ExacTrac X-ray positioning manufactured by BrainLab will be purchased by Hulston Cancer Center, with the first patients undergoing treatment this summer.

Potential patients include individuals with primary brain cancers as well as cancers in the lung, kidney, breast and melanomas which then spread to the brain. Currently, patients must travel to Kansas City or St. Louis for this treatment.

Stereotactic radiosurgery enables a high dose of radiation to be applied to small or difficult to reach lesions, sending the maximum possible amount of radiation into the lesion while minimizing the amount of radiation that goes into surrounding normal tissue. This is especially important in the brain, where lesions may be near or wrapped around critical nerves such as the optic nerve, according to Dr. Ibrahim Abdalla, a board-certified radiation oncologist.

“This offers our patients an alternative to traditional open brain surgery for some types of tumors,” says Dr. Abdalla. “We can offer them more comprehensive treatment options with less invasive procedures that maintain the quality of life for our patients. The addition of the BrainLab gives CoxHealth a complete array of technology for treating all types of cancers.”

The use of BrainLab stereotactic radiosurgery as a surgical tool has had an excellent track record, and has been successful at more than 110 hospitals. Today more than 30,000 people worldwide per year undergo radiosurgery for cranial tumors. More recently with the help of new innovative technology such as the ExacTrac X-ray positioning system this treatment has been expanded to tumors outside the brain for specific cases. Neurosurgeons favor stereotactic radiosurgery for selected conditions because it offers an effective, non-invasive alternative to conventional brain surgery, which requires opening up the skull.

There are patients with certain brain tumors, spinal tumors or vascular abnormalities where conventional neurosurgery is perhaps not the best treatment, according to Dr. J. Charles Mace, a board-certified neurosurgeon. “Radiosurgery allows neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists to work together to deliver radiation to a precise location or locations. In years past, a patient had to travel out of town to receive this treatment,” says Dr. Mace.