Some large and/or aggressive pituitary tumors respond well to standard irradiation
or stereotactic radiosurgery as adjunct therapy to neurosurgery. The Department of
Radiation Oncology provides expertise in this area and offers many comprehensive
treatment options utilizing irradiation when necessary.
Services Offered
External beam radiation therapy treatments are performed with a dual energy
Varian linear accelerator with multileaf collimator, 2100 EX.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), a single focused high dose of radiation,
is offered to treat some pituitary tumors. These treatments are also performed
on the linear accelerator with rigid immobilization (frame) and sophisticated
treatment planning using the BrainLAB planning system.
Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT), multiple focused doses of radiation,
is also offered to patients with larger tumors and uses mask immobilization.
A micromultileaf collimator may also be used for these treatments.
Three-dimensional treatment planning using both CT and MRI imaging is
accomplished with a dosimetrist and a Radiation Oncologist experienced
in recognizing and treating many rare and complex tumor types.
Services are provided to both OHSU physicians and outside clinicians.
