Neurofunction.
2025 Jun;21(1):1-4. 10.52662/nf.2024.00150.
Physics and radiobiology of radiosurgery
- Chung HT
1,2
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Medical Device Development, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
- KMID: 2571908
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.52662/nf.2024.00150
Abstract
- Radiosurgery, a high-precision, high-dose modality, has revolutionized the field of radiation treatment. The physics of radiosurgery is integral to its design and commissioning. The technology relies on three-dimensional imaging, immobilization, setup, and patient positioning to maintain accuracy within the sub-millimeter range. However, it is particularly important to understand the physical processes causing biological effects. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) currently plays a major role in the treatment of brain tumors due to its ability to precisely and accurately deliver a high dose of radiation to a target, effectively ablating viable tumors while minimizing the dose and preventing damage in surrounding normal tissue. The biological mechanisms underlying these new modalities have not been fully elucidated. Evidence now indicates that SRS with doses higher than about 10 Gy per fraction induces vascular damage in tumors, subsequently causing secondary and additional tumor cell death. The ensuing degradation of tumor cells then releases massive amounts of tumor-specific antigens, thereby elevating the antitumor immune response and suppressing the recurrence of tumors and metastasis. The radiobiology of radiosurgery is thus a complex interplay of physical precision and biological responses, making it a powerful tool in the fight against cancer.
