Radiosurgery Center
The Lifespan Cancer Institute’s department of radiation oncology includes pioneering physicians, unique and sophisticated technology, and experienced staff. Using an array of advanced technologies, the department has a proven record of superior outcomes for patients who have been diagnosed with common and uncommon cancers of every type.
Radiosurgery is a special form of radiation therapy that uses high-energy radiation delivered with pinpoint precision. This approach allows for safe treatment of tumors in sensitive locations such as the brain, spinal cord, lung, liver, and other organs. Radiosurgery can be used to kill cancer cells and eliminate or shrink tumors that cannot be safely treated with surgery or by other means.
Treatments at the Radiosurgery Center
A physician may recommend one or more of the following treatments, all of which destroy diseased tissue while preserving normal healthy tissue. Learn more about radiosurgery services offered by Lifespan by expanding a section below.
Gamma Knife Perfexion
One of the first Gamma Knife centers in the United States, the Gamma Knife Center at Rhode Island Hospital has been utilizing this lifesaving technology for more than 20 years, and is the only center in Southeastern New England to offer Gamma Knife treatment.
The center now offers the Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, the newest and most advanced stereotactic radiosurgery technology available. Perfexion is a precise and powerful tool that provides hope to patients with certain brain tumors, vascular malformations and other neurologic disorders.
Design and software advances offer significant enhancements compared to previous versions, including improved treatment accuracy and safety, and have dramatically widened the scope of conditions being treated by the Gamma Knife, including:
- Meningioma
- Metastatic tumors to the brain
- Pituitary tumors
- Acoustic neuroma
- Arteriovenous malformation
- Cavernous angiomas
Patients undergo a noninvasive procedure that uses a single, high-dose radiation treatment to target small and medium-sized intracranial structures, while sparing nearby tissue. Gamma Knife technology is consistently regarded as the best noninvasive treatment for brain disorders. Benefits include:
- Targeted treatment of previously inaccessible areas
- High cure rate: Tumors show an effective response in 85 to 98 percent of cases.
- Delivery of maximum dose to target area
- Low risk of damage to nearby healthy tissue
- Low morbidity
- Painless treatment
- Return home the same day
- High patient satisfaction and quality of life
CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery
CyberKnife delivers beams of high-dose radiation with extreme accuracy, which offers new hope to patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors. It can be used to treat benign and malignant tumors anywhere in the body, including:
- Meningioma
- Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma)
- Pituitary adenoma
- Craniopharyngioma
- Glioma
- Metastases
- Arteriovenous malformations
Its robotic design allows surgeons to manipulate the system to focus radiation to the shape of each tumor, effectively targeting the tumor and avoiding the surrounding healthy tissue.
CyberKnife can administer larger and more accurate doses of radiation over a shorter period of time. It uses image-guidance software to detect any movement by the patient, even motions as miniscule as breathing, and adjust the treatment accordingly. It causes very few side effects, and most patients are able to return to their normal activities immediately following treatment.
TrueBeam Radiosurgery
Rhode Island Hospital is only hospital in the state to offer TrueBeam cancer treatment—a state-of-the-art form of radiosurgery that treats cancerous and noncancerous conditions by shaping its radiation beam to the tumor. This precise beam ensures that the maximum prescribed dose of radiation is delivered to the entire tumor, while protecting healthy tissue.
Because TrueBeam delivers one of the highest dose rates to treat tumors deep inside the body or brain, it offers options to those with clinical conditions once considered untreatable and for whom surgery is not recommended. Its remarkable accuracy is further enhanced by its ability to adapt treatment to adjust to breathing and other body movements so that radiation is delivered completely and safely.
Among the conditions treated by TrueBeam are:
- Brain tumors /gliomas / metastases
- Spine tumors / metastases
- Skull base meningiomas
- Pituitary adenomas
- Arteriovenous malformation
- Cavernous angiomas
- Craniopharyngiomas
Treatment can be provided in as little as 15 to 20 minutes, which reduces the likelihood of body or tumor movements, increasing overall accuracy. Patients also have a more comfortable experience, and more pleasant with TrueBeam’s quieter operation and built-in music capabilities. Two-way audio and video control allows for easy communication with the therapist throughout treatment and enables close monitoring at all times.