| Each year cancer research programs continue | | | | What to Expect When Entering Radiation |
| to grow: funding increases, new technologies | | | | Therapy |
| make year-old discoveries obsolete, and more | | | | |
| doctors and scientists contribute their ideas | | | | Although there are many different types of |
| and methods to understanding and eradicating | | | | radiation treatments, radiosurgery focusing |
| cancer. As these strides are made, more | | | | specifically on the treatment of head, neck, |
| treatment options become available and fewer | | | | and brain cancers, the side effects of |
| people are forced to endure painful and | | | | general radiotherapy and radiosurgery will be |
| invasive treatments. | | | | very similar. |
| | | | |
| Radiosurgery is a non-invasive, non-surgical | | | | With radiosurgery, because the radiation is |
| treatment of brain cancer that allows doctors | | | | focused around the head and brain area, the |
| to direct beams of radiation to precise | | | | patient can often expect to lose hair as a |
| locations in order to focus it directly over | | | | result of the treatment. Other side effects |
| a brain tumor. This method can help treat and | | | | may include a reddening if the skin around |
| remove intracranial tumors that would | | | | the treated area where the radiation beams |
| otherwise not be accessible for open surgery. | | | | are passed through, physical fatigue |
| | | | (patients may feel tired more often than |
| Choosing radiosurgery as an option over more | | | | normal and sleep longer hours), nausea, and |
| invasive routines is the method of choice for | | | | decreased immune response requiring that |
| some patients, but is more likely to be a | | | | patients avoid being in public as much as |
| necessity for patients with certain types of | | | | possible to minimize the possibility of |
| tumors that are not easily accessed through | | | | catching a virus or other sickness. |
| open surgery -- such as skull base tumors. | | | | |
| | | | When used to treat cancer, radiation therapy |
| Radiosurgery often uses the Leksell Gamma | | | | is often administered in conjunction with |
| Knife which concentrates gamma radiation to | | | | surgery and chemotherapy. In operable cases, |
| the targeted portion of the patient's brain. | | | | surgery may be conducted to remove as much of |
| The radiation is so concentrated that, while | | | | the cancer as possible, then treatment is |
| some residual radiation exists, the vast | | | | followed up by radiation therapy to kill any |
| majority of it is focused onto a much smaller | | | | remaining cancer cells. The same is true of |
| area, thus degenerating the affected area and | | | | treatment in conjunction with chemotherapy. |
| leaving the rest of the brain unaffected. | | | | |
| | | | In some cases, a combination of all three |
| The Leksell Gamma Knife form of radiotherapy | | | | treatments will be used. In cases where the |
| has been known to work with only one | | | | threat is not as immediate, radiation therapy |
| treatment. | | | | alone may be the only treatment necessary. |
| | | | |