SRS and SRT

SRS treatment — With SRS, the full radiation dose is delivered in one session. Most patients can be treated as outpatients, and can return home immediately after the procedure. SRS is most often used to treat tumors or abnormalities in the brain and spine, although with new image-guidance techniques and corrections for respiratory motion during treatment, SRS is starting to be used more widely for treatments in other regions of the body.

SRT treatment — SRT is very similar to SRS, but instead of being completed in a single session, the dose of radiation dose is delivered over a course of several treatment sessions, instead of all at once. SRT is also known as fractionated radiosurgery, because a fraction of the total radiation dose is delivered at each session. SRT is used to treat tumors or abnormalities in the brain, head, neck, and spine. It may also be used to treat tumors or abnormalities in other parts of the body—in the lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas, for example.

Whether to use SRS, SRT, or some other form of treatment is a decision your doctor will make based on many factors, such as the size, location, and type of tumor, as well as your overall state of health.