New precise stereotactic radiosurgery treatment to help South West brain cancer patients closer to home

Cancer patients in the South West will have access to a first-of-its-kind treatment for the region — a move which is set to reduce therapy times for those with brain cancer. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) offers a highly precise treatment option involving intracranial non-invasive radiation therapy that drastically reduces treatment times from 10 sessions to one-to-three. The surgery uses a robot positioning platform to target high doses of radiation directly into the tumours to destroy them. Dr Tan said the world-recognised treatment had been offered in the metro area for several years and now local patients would benefit from reduced treatment times and less travelling. “Brain metastases (secondary brain tumours) are estimated to occur in between 20-40 per cent of cancer patients, and as a result we are seeing an increasing number of patients benefiting from stereotactic treatment,” Dr Tan said. “Being able to deliver the treatment closer to home will improve the patient’s care, especially in the South West where people may have been travelling several hours to get to Perth but can now travel to Bunbury.” Dr Tan said the treatment’s preciseness and ability to target multiple tumours at a time meant the patient would experience reduced side effects compared to traditional radiation methods. “Because the treatment involves delivering the radiation directly to tumours in the brain, it spares the surrounding tissues and minimises damage reducing toxicity to the patient’s brain and improving their quality of life and memory function,” Dr Tan said. WA Country Health Service regional director Kerry Winsor said the introduction of the new treatment was an example of what could be achieved through collaboration for patients in the region.