Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)

Conventional radiation therapy such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy involves treatment of both the visible tumor and a small margin of surrounding tissues, in order to deal effectively with all the cancer that may be located in a particular part of the body. Treatment usually involves between 15 and 35 sessions over several weeks, and may be combined with chemotherapy. Conventional radiation therapy may be used on its own, or in combination with surgery. This is the right treatment for many people with certain cancers.

By contrast, SBRT targets just the cancer that can be seen, using much more focused beams of radiation and shorter treatment schedules. A minimal amount of healthy tissue is exposed to the radiation using this approach, meaning the side effects are usually mild, and many people get no side effects at all. And because the radiation dose is often higher than it is with conventional radiation therapy, the likelihood of tumor control is very good.

A number of studies have shown that SABR is beneficial over conventional radiation therapy for certain cancers with a limited number of metastases (areas where the cancer has spread to other sites in the body).

Your care team will call you before your planning scan to explain any preparation instructions in advance of your appointment, and to answer any questions. The appointment will involve a computed tomography (CT) scan and will last around an hour. You may also have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan depending on the location of your cancer.

Your physician and an expert team of dosimetrists and physicists will then create a SBRT treatment plan that is specific to you, using the images from your scans.

SBRT is usually given in three to five sessions. Your care team will explain what will happen at each appointment, but here is a summary of the process:

1. The radiation therapists will help you get into the correct position on the treatment table and ensure you are comfortable. Surface guidance and image guidance technology will be used to precisely target your tumor and avoid normal adjacent tissues that need protection.
2. They’ll then leave the room, but you’ll still be able to speak to them via the intercom. Your favorite music will be available – be sure to let our team know what you like to listen to and we’ll make sure it’s available
3. The treatment will last between 10 and 40 minutes, depending on the area of your body being treated and the technique being used – the radiation therapy machine (called a linear accelerator, or linac) will move around you without touching you.

You can go straight home after each session. You are not radioactive at any point during or after treatment.

Your follow up

• Seven to ten days later: a member of your care team will call to see how you’re feeling and answer any questions you may have.
• Four to six weeks later: you’ll have a review with your GenesisCare physician to discuss your side effects and response to the treatment.

In the longer term, your care team will continue to follow up on your recovery and well-being through appointments, phone calls and emails.

Your GenesisCare physician will discuss your diagnosis, treatments to date and overall health with a multidisciplinary team of SBRT specialists. Together, you and your physician will decide if SBRT is right for you. They will explain the treatment plan to you, including any side effects you might experience and the outcome you can expect to achieve. You’ll have time to ask questions before you decide whether you want to proceed.

• Abdominal and pelvic tumors
  • Tumors in the pancreas that haven’t spread around the body
  • Tumors arising in the liver if the healthy liver is strong enough
  • Secondary tumors in the liver, adrenal glands and lymph nodes
  • Recurrent cancer in the pelvis after previous radiation therapy
  • Prostate cancer, depending on the tumor stage
  • Tumors in the kidney
• Secondary bone tumors (or metastases)  in the rib cage, pelvis, leg, arm or spine. Often this is described as oligometastatic disease.
• Primary lung cancer and lung metastases
• Secondary tumors in the brain

Many prominent clinical studies around the world have shown the value of this treatment in improving outcomes at different stages of cancer and we are committed to making this available to our patients where possible.

As with any cancer treatment, you may experience side effects. What you experience is often dependent on the location of the tumor. Your physician will discuss with you which of these are more likely to affect you.