COMBINING SURGERY WITH NEW RADIATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPINAL TUMORS: IS THERE A PARADIGM CHANGE?

摘要

Surgery and fractionated radiation therapy have been the most important tools for achieving local tumor control in patients with spinal tumors. Both modalities are geographically oriented and abide by the principles that 1) microscopic tumor extensionmust be anticipated and addressed and 2) critical normal tissue structures must be spared. For non-neurological tumors there is great debate regarding the pros and cons of pre or post-operative radiation. However, for spinal tumors quick decompression is often required, so post-operative radiation is more commonly employed. In the last decade Intensity Modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) have become available in veterinary medicine. This lecture will focus on how these new modalities have altered the approach to treatment of spinal tumors.