Weill Medical College of Cornell University

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External Beam Therapy

Weill Cornell Medical College offers a comprehensive External Beam Service that utilizes the latest treatment delivery techniques to shape the therapeutic beam to the individual requirements of each patient. External beam therapy, or conventional radiotherapy, is administered with three state-of-the-art linear accelerators utilizing the newest treatment delivery techniques.

Weill Cornell's expert radiation oncologists use sophisticated 3-dimensional computer-generated treatment plans that allow the radiation dose to be directed to the site of the tumor while sparing surrounding healthy brain tissue. Then, using a single high dose of ionizing radiation (for stereotactic radiosurgery) or multiple treatments with smaller doses of ionizing radiation (radiotherapy), the full radiation dose is concentrated in the tumor. Very little of the surrounding tissue receives significant radiation.

We employ the Beta Acquisition Targeting System (BAT) — an advanced patient positioning system — to increase the accuracy of our treatment for appropriate cases. An ultrasonic detector continuously monitors a patient's position and compares it to the predetermined ideal position for that patient's treatment. This allows us to compensate for unanticipated movement by the patient during treatment and to safely deliver higher doses to the target area. This system is utilized extensively in patients receiving IMRT for prostate cancer.

A Team Approach

New-York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell is staffed by experts with highly specialized knowledge and skills in neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neurology, radiation therapy and radiation physics. Supported by 20 years of research and successful treatment of patients, the stereotactic program applies the latest technological advances in neurosurgical and radiation therapy principles to provide patients with the most advanced and skilled treatment available.

What to Expect

Prior to treatment, the radiosurgery team members meet to develop a treatment plan and discuss optimal imaging techniques. On the day of the procedure, a neurosurgeon places a special stereotactic frame to aid in localizing the brain lesion and hold the patient's head motionless during treatment. After a treatment planning CT scan is performed with the frame in place, the lesion's location and dimensions are precisely defined. A state-of-the-art computer-generated treatment plan is then used to direct the prescribed radiation dose to the lesion with pinpoint accuracy. The treatment's goal is to shrink the lesion over time. In many cases, the treated lesions completely disappear.