Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
CARTI offers Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy to treat cancerous and non-cancerous conditions outside the head with shaped-beam technology.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy focuses high-powered X-rays on a small area of the body. By shaping the beam precisely to the tumor, the best possible treatment dose is delivered while healthy tissue is protected. Traditional radiation therapy is delivered in multiple doses, often over a six to eight week period, whereas Stereotactic Radiosurgery is typically delivered in two to five doses.

Stereotactic Body radiotherapy is different from Stereotactic Radiosurgery used for many years to treat inside the brain. Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy may be used to treat other cancers, primarily inoperable early-stage lung cancer, and diseases and conditions, including:

- Small, inoperable lung tumors
- Pancreatic Tumors
- Liver metastases
- Spinal cord tumors and metastatic disease in the spine
- Small Pelvic tumors

Why Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy?

CARTI offers Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy because it allows our radiation oncologists to shape the beam precisely to the tumor while protecting healthy tissue. Often the treatments are delivered over a shorter course than traditional radiation therapy, allowing the patient to return to his/her normal activities sooner.
With the advanced technology, patients who otherwise would not have had a treatment option can be treated. In fact for inoperable early stage lung patients, Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy has been referred to as “the first significant change in these patients in 50 years," according to Robert D. Timmerman, M.D., from the University of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who presented his study at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago in November 2009. (For a copy of the news story, click here.)

Treatment Description
During treatment, patients lie on a table, under a machine that delivers radiation beams. The machine rotates around the patient while it delivers treatment. The entire procedure, including the planning stage, takes about half a day or less. Patients receive the 2-5 radiation treatments for about 30 minutes each.

Not all patients are candidates for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy.

Visit with your radiation oncologist at CARTI to discuss your options for treatment, or call 1-800-482-8561 for more information.