At the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, patients and physicians have a complete range of options available to treat all types of cancer and nonmalignant tumors. Using a creative, collaborative approach, radiation oncologists employ stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to treat more than 300 patients annually who come from across the region and the nation.
Using an advanced linear accelerator, SRS treats benign and malignant tumors with a precise delivery of focused, high doses of radiation to the target area. The treatment, done in one to three sessions, produces such a dramatic effect that the changes are considered equivalent to surgery. SRS is used to treat brain and spine lesions in addition to lung, liver, pancreatic and prostate tumors. In fact, SRS may be prescribed as the primary treatment for tumors, especially those that cannot be reached by surgery. Before each treatment session, a four-dimensional computerized imaging device (4D-CT) is used to confirm the target area; then, the highly focused beam is delivered to the site.
During a patient's initial visit, a multidisciplinary team of surgical, medical and radiation oncologists discusses treatment options and makes recommendations based on a full understanding of the diagnosis. Medical physicists with specific expertise in SRS develop the SRS treatment plan, and then highly trained radiation therapists and nurses, under the direction of the radiation oncologist, deliver the treatment.
Every SRS plan and protocol is customized according to the individual patient's needs with the ablative radiation dose precisely focused on the tumor, avoiding healthy tissue and organs. Our radiologists, physicists and radiology technicians' close monitoring of the entire treatment process allows for rapid targeting adjustments, if needed, to achieve SRS's precise accuracy.
Montefiore Radiation Oncologist Madhur K. Garg, MD, is internationally recognized as an expert in innovative radiation technologies, including stereotactic radiosurgery. He is a member of the American College of Radiology's Appropriateness Criteria Committee, which develops and recommends national cancer treatment standards for radiation therapy departments and hospitals.
SRS is performed on an outpatient basis in our specialized, freestanding Center for Radiation Therapy, 1625 Poplar Street, in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. Ample parking is available.
The goal of our research is to increase the cure rate for cancer and to provide a better quality of life for all patients. Through our partnership with Albert Einstein Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, our radiation oncologists, faculty and physicists are actively involved in multiple clinical studies. Internationally recognized Montefiore Radiation Oncologist Madhur K. Garg, MD, is principal investigator in several clinical trials involving malignant brain tumors. His work includes using an advanced form of combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy on glioblastomas, or aggressive brain tumors.