Radiation Beams Hit Hard-to-Reach Brain, Spine Tumors (Featured in the Media)
(Published 3-27-08, Courier-Post) Advanced radiation technology is helping doctors cure tumors they couldn't treat before,
usually because the tumors were in hard-to-reach locations such as the brain and spine.
This technology, called shaped beam surgery, molds radiation beams to fit the exact size and shape of a tumor. Doctors can
program the device to target a very specific location in the body. Shaped beam surgery was updated and ready for use in 2004,
but is still only available at a handful of medical centers and hospitals nationwide including Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital in Philadelphia.
"We can sterilize tumors without affecting the normal tissues next to it," says David Andrews, neurosurgeon and director of
the division of Neuro-oncologic Neurosurgery and Stereotactic Radiosurgery at Jefferson. "It increases the therapeutical index.
Usually, to keep the normal tissue happy, the tumor isn't getting enough radiation, but with shaped beam surgery we can use
a much higher dose of radiation because it is targeting a very precise location."
Department of Neurological Surgery
Media Coverage
Courier-Post
Jefferson Oncologists Show Focused Radiation Just as Effective As Surgery in Fighting Rare Nerve Tumor
(Published 10-30-2007) Specifically aimed, “stereotactic” radiation may be as good as surgery – and in some cases, even better
– in treating a benign but potentially devastating brain tumors called non-acoustic schwannomas, according to a study by radiation
oncologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Interactive 3-D Map in OR Can Better Guide Jefferson Neurological Surgeons Through the Brain During Procedure
(Published 7-30-2007) Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience is one of first medical centers in the U.S. to develop and begin
using translational, interactive 3-D technology to map the human brain and help guide neurological surgeons during epilepsy
surgery and procedures to remove malignant brain tumors.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR ACOUSTIC NEUROMA TUMOR PATIENTS TO CELEBRATE 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
(Published 6-25-2007) The national Acoustic Neuroma Association (ANA), will mark its 25th anniversary at its 18th annual symposium
in Philadelphia. The three-day event is scheduled for July 13-15, 2007 at the Doubletree Hotel. The ANA’s mission is to inform,
educate and provide support for those who have developed these benign tumors, which can cause hearing loss and migraines among
other medical problems.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR ACOUSTIC NEUROMA TUMOR PATIENTS TO CELEBRATE 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
(Published 6-25-2007) The national Acoustic Neuroma Association (ANA), will mark its 25th anniversary at its 18th annual symposium
in Philadelphia. The three-day event is scheduled for July 13-15, 2007 at the Doubletree Hotel. The ANA’s mission is to inform,
educate and provide support for those who have developed these benign tumors, which can cause hearing loss and migraines among
other medical problems.
