Emory Offers New Targeted Radiation Treatment For Brain Tumors With First Machine Of Its Kind

Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute is the first site in the world to offer a new, extremely precise, image-guided radiation treatment system for brain tumors, offering patients an alternative to surgical removal of tumors. The Trilogy system, created by Varian Medical Systems, delivers higher doses of targeted radiation to smaller areas with more precision over a shorter period of time. It allows doctors to customize the treatment plan for each patient. The Trilogy can deliver several types of radiation to the head depending on the needs of the patient. For a small brain tumor, doctors use stereotactic radiosurgery, which delivers a single high-dose of radiation in one treatment. For larger tumors, doctors use stereotactic radiotherapy, delivering radiation in multiple treatments. The Trilogy can also be used for traditional radiation therapy, which is delivered in daily small doses over a period of weeks. In all cases, treatment involves the use of focused external beams of radiation delivered to a specific area of the brain to treat arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) or tumors. Patients are placed in a mask or a frame to completely restrict the head’s movement, permitting the most precise and accurate treatment. Each treatment takes 30 to 45 minutes.