Radiation can be given to treat primary tumors in your brain and spine or tumors that have spread to the brain and spine from another part of your body (metastasized). We can deliver radiation after surgery (sometimes with chemotherapy) to try to kill tumor cells left in the brain or spine, as the main (primary) treatment if surgery can’t be done, and to help relieve symptoms caused by the tumor. Treatments are scheduled Monday through Friday over the course of several weeks. In some cases, we can delivery higher doses of radiation in fewer treatments.Your treatment is custom-tailored and unique to your diagnosis, tumor size, location and involvement. Your radiation oncologist (a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with radiation) will review all available treatment options and recommend a personalized plan for you based on national guidelines, which guide all cancer treatments. Radiation therapy is used either alone or in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery.

Radiation can be delivered either from outside the body with a machine called a linear accelerator (external beam radiation) or from a radiation source implanted permanently or temporarily in the body (brachytherapy).