Matt's Experience
Matt, a YCS board member, submitted the following experience about his wife
Kara:
Initially, three metastases were targeted with the Novalis radiosurgery technique. A thin-slice MRI of the brain was performed within a couple of days of the procedure to get a good mapping of the tumors. We showed up at the radiation oncology office early in the morning, and a halo was screwed into Kara's head. This is a large metal halo that rests around the bottom of her head and has four pillars with screws that go into the top of her head, all the way into the bone. Two screws in the forehead and two in the back are used to keep the head from moving and to give reference points for the machines.
Next, a CT scan was performed to localize the tumors to reference points on the halo. The CT scan and the MRI are fused and the radiation oncologist, a neurosurgeon, and a physicist all decide the best way to target the tumors. This takes a few hours so bring something to do. Do everything you can to be the first case of the day. Otherwise, you will be there all day. Once the mapping is done, and it is time for the procedure, it only takes about 30 minutes. When the treatment is done, the halo is unscrewed, and you will be shown how to clean the wounds.
Afterwards, Kara had a headache and was given Tylenol to relieve the pain. We went home, and she went to bed. The halo does not allow you to lay your head down so it can be a long day that is hard on the neck. We have had the procedure three times but still have not figured out a way to lay the head down easily. The tumors need to be relatively small (less than 2.5 cm in diameter at our hospital) and only require one session to treat tumors in the brain. The procedure has been very effective at eradicating small tumors in the brain, and she has had it performed three separate times. My wife would not be alive today without radiosurgery.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery to the Body
Matt's Experience
Matt, a YCS board member, submitted the following experience about his wife
Kara:
Radiosurgery to the body is a little different than radiosurgery to the brain. When you breathe, the organs in the body move just a little bit. First, a body cast was made to immobilize the body, and a thin-slice 4D-CT was performed to find the tumors. The 4D part tracks the movement of the tumor while the person is breathing. The radiosurgery is done while the patient is in the cast and requires 3-5 sessions to treat the tumors, five sessions in our case. We initially had a cast made to treat lung tumors, but we never used it because the PET/CT revealed many more tumors.
Later, we used radiosurgery to treat a solitary liver metastasis and are trying to schedule a treatment for a metastasis in the adrenal glands. The side effects are minimal in our case, but I can definitely see how claustrophobia could be a problem.