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UT Southwestern Medical Center delivers the latest stereotactic therapies to treat cancer. It recently joined the ranks of the best cancer radiotherapy centers in the U.S., offering both the Gamma Knife and CyberKnife technologies.
Stereotactic therapy is a noninvasive treatment in which high-dose radiation beams are delivered to a tumor or lesion in a concentrated, extremely precise manner. Many beams of radiation – often more than 100 – are directed at the tumor from different directions. Each of these many beams is relatively weak and, therefore, causes very little damage when entering the patient’s body.
Stereotactic therapies are administered as the primary mode of therapy, or can be used in conjunction with conventional surgery to treat remaining cancer cells. The Stereotactic Radiotherapy Program brings together cutting-edge translational and clinical research and advanced technologies. A team of faculty members, researchers and physicians brings compassionate care to each and every patient.
Among UT Southwestern’s technology capabilities are:
- Three Varian linear accelerators with the capability for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), which, through computer targeting, delivers a high dose of radiation to a tumor or lesion.
- The Accuray CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System, which is a frameless stereotactic system that delivers highly targeted single or multiple (fractionated) radiation treatments to intracranial and skull-base tumors using scores of small X-ray beams in a complex pattern. UT Southwestern is one of only five institutions in the nation using this system.
- The Leksell Gamma Knife Radiosurgery System, which makes it possible to administer a high radiation dose to the diseased area, minimizing the risk of damaging healthy tissue. The system uses separate beams of Cobalt-60 irradiation to target abnormal tissues, and is extremely precise and well suited for the treatment of vascular malformations, benign tumors, metastases and other malignant tumors, as well as functional disorders, such as trigeminal neuralgia.
UT Southwestern’s stereotactic experts provide the highest quality radiation treatment, combined with compassionate care.
