The practice of radiation therapy has evolved substantially over the past 60 years. It’s now routine to deliver well-calibrated doses of ionizing radiations with precise conformality in single or multiple fractions to targets in the cranium and the body. Advances in medical imaging, immobilization techniques and computer software programs enabled widespread use of radiosurgery. Precise detection of target and normal tissue motion with high resolution imaging techniques, external and internal reference points, cancer management is being achieved with highly conformal plans. These procedures are more complex than standard radiotherapy and provide improved target coverage with greater sparing of normal tissues. This article reviews the historical progress in radiosurgery, the main principles and clinical applications in association with the literature.
Keywords: radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, cyber knife