Expanded Access to Radiosurgery for Brain Tumors

Radiosurgery – also referred to as radiation surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotaxic radiosurgery – uses 3-D imaging to target high doses of radiation to a specific affected area. It’s a precise, non-surgical alternative to treating cancerous and non-cancerous tumors with minimal impact to surrounding healthy tissue.

“Two decades ago, we opened the first CyberKnife® radiosurgery facility on the East Coast at Overlook Medical Center,” explains Joana S. Emmolo, MD, a radiation oncologist and director of neurologic radiosurgery at Atlantic Health System. “Since then, we have been operating the largest and most experienced program in the state, treating patients with brain metastasis, cancer that originates elsewhere in the body and spreads to the brain. By treating individual tumors with highly accurate, focused doses of radiation, we’re able to eradicate lesions while safeguarding healthy brain tissue.”

That’s why Atlantic Health System recently expanded its radiosurgery capabilities to Morristown Medical Center with the addition of the TrueBeam® Radiotherapy System. Similar to CyberKnife, TrueBeam offers the most advanced image-guided technologies for enhanced tumor visualization and targeting.

“Prior to modern technologic advances like this, every patient’s entire brain was treated with one uniform dose, which caused many life-altering consequences,” Yana P. Goldberg, MD, a radiation oncologist with Atlantic Health System, details. “Now with these more individually tailored and targeted treatments, our patients are enjoying a longer and higher quality of life.”

“By bringing this technology – which we also have at Overlook – to Morristown Medical Center, we are expanding access to this highly specialized treatment,” Mona Karim, MD, a radiation oncologist and vice chair of the radiation oncology department at Morristown, continues. “This is critically important as patients with metastatic brain cancer often experience health challenges. Having facilities in diverse New Jersey locations makes it easier for them to benefit from this effective treatment.”

Providing radiosurgery treatment requires intense administration and follow-up by specialty-trained experts. “At the Glasser Brain Tumor Center, every patient’s treatment is designed and followed by a multidisciplinary team of radiosurgery experts,” notes Joseph Paul Weiner, MD, a radiation oncologist and medical director of advanced radiation technology. “From their first encounter to post treatment surveillance, patient care is coordinated among all members of the team for a streamlined experience. And the results speak for themselves."

Dr. Emmolo concludes, “Here at Glasser, we are seeing our patients live far longer without suffering the crippling effects of whole brain radiation. These outcomes and our patients are our inspiration for providing expanded and increasingly easy access to state-of-the-art therapies and treatments like this.”