What Conditions are Treatable with Radiosurgery at Baylor?

Radiosurgery was developed in the 1950s to treat brain tumors. Today, new advancements allow physicians to treat patients with a variety of cancers and other conditions, including pediatric patients. Here are some of the diseases and conditions we treat at the Baylor Radiosurgery Center.

• Acoustic Neuromas
  With high control rates and a low risk to the facial nerve, radiosurgery can be an effective treatment for patients suffering from acoustic neuromas.
• Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)
  Radiosurgery can be effective for obliterating small, deep-seated ateriovenous malformations (AVMs) when surgical resection is not a viable option.
• Radiosurgery Treatments at Baylor for Internal Organs
  Although radiosurgery was initially developed to treat tumors of the brain, the invention of the CyberKnife now allows radiosurgical treatment to be offered to patients with tumors in any part of the body. This device does not require the patient wear a frame to deliver the radiation with precision and the Baylor Radiosurgery Center staff is using this to treat tumors of the spine, lung, liver, pancreas and other organs. Physicians on the medical staff at Baylor are participating in national protocols for these options.
• Breast Cancer
• Lung cancer
• Liver cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Pancreatic cancer


• Meningiomas and Skull-based Tumors
  Radiosurgery can provide long-lasting local control, especially for residual tumors that cannot be completely removed by surgery.
• Metastatic Brain Tumors
  Patients with metastatic brain tumors - brain tumors that have come from another location in the body -- often respond well to radiosurgery even after conventional radiotherapy has failed. Multiple sites can often be easily and safely treated and rates of local controls are high.
• Pediatric Tumors
  Physicians on the medical staff have pioneered the application of radiosurgery to treat young patients and infants. The Baylor Radiosurgery Center offers a full spectrum of radiosurgical services for children.
• Pituitary Tumors
  Radiosurgery can be effective for control of tumor growth and for suppression of abnormal hormonal secretion.
• Primary Brain Tumors
  Radiosurgery can provide local control of primary brain tumors such as high-grade gliomas, edulloblastomas and ependymomas.
• Spinal Tumors
  Using the advanced tracking system of the CyberKnife, metastatic and other lesions around and even within the spinal cord can be treated while minimizing dose to the surrounding normal spinal cord tissue.
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
  Radiosurgery can be effective for relieving the facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia when other methods have failed or when surgery is not a viable option for medical reasons.