The diagnosis of pituitary tumors has improved with advances in magnetic resonance and radionuclide and hormonal testing. The widespread availability of neuroimaging has significantly increased the number of incidental pituitary tumors coming to medical attention. Conventional therapy with transsphenoidal surgery, external-beam radiotherapy, and bromocriptine has enabled the majority of patient...

A patient with progressive visual loss was found to have an optic nerve sheath meningioma. The patient was treated with stereotactic radiotherapy, a computer-guided stereotactic technique that minimizes the risk of radiation-induced optic neuropathy. Six months after treatment, the patient was doing well and showed no signs of radiation-induced optic neuropathy.

A section of this issue of TCRT focuses on four articles dealing with technological advances in brain and spine radiosurgery. With the evolution of radiation technology to allow for high precision image-guided radiotherapy as an integrated part of mainstream linear accelerators, the practice of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is commonly applied to the brain and is rapidly developing as an attr...

Surgical treatment remains the only curative treatment for gallbladder cancer. However, even after liver resection, locoregional failure seems to be a significant problem. While there is no Level I evidence, multiple studies have shown benefit for adjuvant radiation in high-risk patients. After extensive liver resection, tolerance to conventional chemoradiation may be limited by potential liver...

Stereotactic body radiotherapy is a highly technology-driven treatment modality. The wider availability of in-room imaging and advanced radiotherapy delivery techniques has led to more institutions offering stereotactic ablative therapy (SABR). While some technological challenges remain, the crucial point for the next generation of SABR clinical trials is that today's technology is used correct...

In synchrotron stereotactic radiotherapy (SSR) the tumor is loaded with a high Z element, and exposed to monochromatic x-rays from a synchrotron source, in stereotactic conditions. The SSR treatment efficiency is related to the heavy element concentration achievable in the tumor, to the radiation energy, and the irradiation geometry [1,2]. The experimental dose verification of SSR in three dime...

BACKGROUND Hypofractionated radiotherapy has been used for the treatment of AVMs and brain metastases. Hypofractionation necessitates the use of a relocatable stereotactic frame that has to be applied on several occasions. The stereotactic frame needs to have a high degree of reproducibility, and patient positioning is crucial to achieve a high accuracy of the treatment. METHODS In this study...

Despite advances in the fields of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the prognosis for high-grade glioma (HGG) remains unsatisfactory. The majority of HGG patients experience disease recurrence. To date, no standard treatments have been established for recurrent HGG. Repeat surgery and chemotherapy demonstrate moderate efficacy. As recurrent lesions are usually located within the previousl...

The management of pancreatic cancer continues to be challenging. Despite surgical, genetic and molecular advances, its overall prognosis remains poor. Surgical resection is the only modality that offers a chance for a cure, with an overall survival rate of 10-20% at 5 years. However, only 20% of the patients are surgical candidates because of locally advanced disease or systemic stage at presen...