الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Stereotactic radiosurgery differs from open surgery as stereotactic radiosurgery has no immediate cytoreductive role. Instead, the goal of radiosurgery is to change the biology of tumor cells so as to inhibit their proliferative potential. A successful outcome of radiosurgical treatment is therefore arrest of tumor growth, not disappearance of the tumor. Radiosurgery is therefore inappropriate for patients who are symptomatic from mass effect of tumors. Regardless of mass effect, however, another limiting aspect of radiosurgery is tumor size: Because external beam techniques can achieve only a limited degree of conformity, radiosurgical treatment of larger tumors may expose normal tissue to an unacceptably high level of radiation. Large tumors may require surgical debulking ( to reduce tumor volume) so that single-fraction radiosurgical treatment can be used. Radiosurgery has been used extensively for treating benign tumors of the central nervous system. The most extensively developed data for radiosurgical treatments have pertained to treatment of acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) and meningioma of the skull base. The clear margins and discrete imaging characteristics of these tumors make them ideal candidates for radiosurgical treatment. Radiosurgical treatment eliminates risks of blood loss, infection, anesthesia complications, and other perioperative risks. In addition, radiosurgery is administered on an outpatient basis, thereby eliminating the need for hospitalization, specialized care in the intensive care unit (ICU), and rehabilitation. For these reasons, radiosurgery is a compelling treatment alternative for many patients. For patients who are medically fragile or who cannot accept the potential complications of surgery (eg, risks inherent in blood transfusion), radiosurgery may be the only feasible treatment alternative.