Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery (SBRS) is a novel application of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to tumors in the spine, liver, lung and other body sites.  Like SRS for brain tumors, SBRS is delivered in a single (or a small number of) treatment as opposed to weeks of therapy. 

At UCSD, the SBRS program initially focused on the treatment of tumors of the spine.  SBRS is an ideal approach in these patients, providing a safe and effective means of treatment even in patients who had earlier failed conventional radiotherapy. 

An example spine SBRS treatment plan is shown below. Note that the high dose lines avoid the surrounding normal tissues including the spinal cord and kidneys.

An example radiosurgery treatment of a patient with a recurrent spinal tumor

The UCSD SBRS program has now been extended to tumors of the lung and liver.  Given that tumors in these sites may exhibit considerable movement due to respiration, SBRS treatment is typically combined with respiratory gating & 4D computed tomography (CT).

An example liver SBRS treatment plan is shown below:

SBRS treatment plan in a patient with a liver metastasis Treatment was delivered with respiratory gating

An example lung SBRS treatment plan is shown below:

SBRS of a patient with a medically inoperable stage IA lung cancer

At UCSD, SBRS is performed using a Varian Trilogy linear accelerator.

Varian Trilogy

Trilogy provides the ability to deliver SBRS with a variety of approaches, including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).  Such flexibility allows the Radiation Oncologist to choose the treatment approach most appropriate for the individual patient.

Ask your physician whether SBRS is appropriate for the treatment for you.