A New Line of Defense in the Fight Against Cancer
The Varian® EdgeTM radiosurgery system, the most advanced radiosurgery technology available, is the cornerstone of Stony Brook’s Radiosurgery/ Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) program.
Why the Edge?
The Edge is highly sophisticated radiation equipment used for patients who have malignant cancer and benign tumors. Radiosurgery uses and manipulates very sharp, precisely-focused radiation beams to eliminate tumors, exactly like a surgical procedure. It is a same-day ambulatory procedure and is noninvasive as there are no incisions or loss of blood. This procedure is performed in the Department of Radiation Oncology, only at Stony Brook Medicine.
Radiosurgery and SBRT
Originally used for tumors in the brain, radiosurgery is now used to destroy cancer in many different organs. When used in different parts of the body, it is referred to as Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). Stereotactic refers to the use of three-dimensional images to precisely target tumors.
- Radiosurgery/SBRT are now used to kill tumors in the brain, spinal cord, lung, liver, face and other areas.
- The radiation beams are targeted to the cancer with accuracy within one millimeter. This helps to protect healthy tissue around the tumor.
- Radiosurgery/SBRT can deliver higher doses of radiation with fewer treatments than traditional radiation therapy.
- Many tumors can often be totally eradicated with just one treatment.
Team of Experts
Stony Brook’s radiation oncologists work with a multidisciplinary team of experts who have been involved with the ongoing, comprehensive Radiosurgery/SBRT program in the Department of Radiation Oncology for many years. These include, nurses, medical physicists, medical dosimetrists and radiation therapists.
Video: Pushing Radiosurgery to the Edge
SPECIAL EVENT
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Stony Brook Cancer Center celebrated the addition of the Edge to the Department of Radiation Oncology with a Ribbon-Cutting ceremony on Aug. 1, 2016.
Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, Senior Vice President, Health Sciences, and Dean, School of Medicine, at Stony Brook Medicine, joined Yusuf Hannun, MD, Director, Stony Brook Cancer Center, in recognizing this important milestone, which allows our team of expert clinicians to provide optimal noninvasive treatment to patients with cancer. They flanked Samuel Ryu, MD, (photo, left to right) as he cut the ceremonial red ribbon, officially marking a new era in Stony Brook’s Radiosurgery/SBRT program. Laura Borghardt, Administrative Director of Radiation Oncology (photo, far left), Carol Gomes, Chief Operating Office, Stony Brook University Hospital (photo, second from right), and Jean Marie Fudjinski, RTT, Assistant Chief Therapist (photo, far right), also joined the ceremony.
"The Edge is an important technological acquisition for the Cancer Center, because as leaders of patient care and cancer research, we have to stay at the forefront of innovation," said Dr. Ryu. "It's important to remember that the equipment's full potential can only be realized because of our talented and experienced radiation oncologists with well-trained technological staffs and nurses. This powerful combination is what sets us apart regionally."
Some of the benefits of this new radiosurgery system for our patients is that it visualizes the target tumor in real time, precisely calculates patient movement in all six degrees of freedom, and monitors internal respiratory motion. This allows the radiation beam to precisely target the tumor because it is taking the body's movement into account during treatment.
View Facebook album from Ribbon-Cutting
What Radiosurgery Is and How It Works
Features of the Edge Radiosurgery System