Radiosurgery
What is Radiosurgery?
Radiosurgery is a noninvasive treatment that can remove tumors and cancers without a surgeon having to cut into the body. PAMF doctors use an advanced technology called the Novalis Tx® radiosurgery system to deliver a precise dose of radiation to the tumor. The radiation surgery destroys a targeted area without harming the surrounding normal tissue.
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How is Radiosurgery Done?
Doctors use radiation surgery to destroy cancerous tumor or lesions. To do this without accidentally hurting healthy surrounding tissue requires that the doctor be extremely precise in targeting the radiation beams. PAMF doctors use advanced medical imaging technologies to look inside the body and map the exact area they want to target with radiation.
Often, tumors have an irregular shape, which is why the Novalis TX® radiosurgery system that PAMF now uses has a Shaped Beam Surgery component that lets the system match the radiation beams to targets of nearly any shape. As a result, through this radiation surgery, cancerous cells are shrunk or destroyed without harming the nearby healthy tissues.
Once doctors have mapped out their target and entered that information into the Novalis TX® radiosurgery system, the patient is brought in for treatment. At this point, many patients are concerned that if they move during treatment, the radiation could miss and damage healthy tissue. To prevent this, some radiation surgery systems require patients to be immobilized during the treatment with a special frame that holds the head in place.
However, patient movement is much less of a concern with the Novalis Tx® radiosurgery system because it allows doctors to monitor the exact position of the patient at all times. In addition, the system can detect the slightest motion by the patient and continually adjusts the radiation treatment beams to account for this movement.
Finally, the Novalis Tx® radiosurgery system can deliver the radiation much faster than older radiosurgery systems. As a result, patients don't have to hold still for as long during treatment. When the radiation surgery is complete, patients can typically resume their normal activities right away.
Learn more about the benefits of Radiosurgery....
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Contact Us
The Hiller Radiosurgery Program at the Cancer Care Clinic
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Attn: Frank Delarama, R.N., Cancer Care Navigator
795 El Camino Real
Level 3, Lee Building
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Office phone: 650-853-4816
Google Map to the Palo Alto Center
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