Stereotactic body radiation therapy A discipline with Nordic origin and profile

摘要

Single fraction treatment procedures have been used ever since the introduction of radiotherapy (RT) around 1900. At that time, radiation was delivered and explored by surgeons as an alternative to the scalpel and other surgical instruments. With time, the field or RT developed, both in terms of its technology and understanding of important radiobiological issues. Fractionated therapy with the use of 1.8-2 Gy fractions over several weeks became an established principle in RT. However, in stereotactic RT (SRT) extreme hypofractionation most often with the use of 1-3 fractions remaining the main type of fraction-ation primarily for technical reasons. Some have argued that SRT ignored the well-established knowledge of fractionation effects whereas others claim that fractionation is not needed when the volume of normal tissue is spared by use of high-precision technology. SRT was initially developed by the neurosurgeon Lars Leksell from Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Being a neurosurgeon, obviously before the RT specialisation had matured with its own societies and scientific periodicals, the papers of Leksell appeared mainly in surgical journals.