Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) opens the
door for patients with pancreatic cancer to have surgery
and a chance for a longer and higher-quality of life
Target Precision
ancreatic cancer is one of the
most lethal forms of cancer,
with only nine percent of
patients surviving more than five years.
“Pancreatic cancer is a very deadly
cancer and is often difficult to treat,”
says Niraj Pahlajani, MD, a radiation
oncologist at Baylor Scott & White
Health. “Unfortunately, most people
who are diagnosed with it die of the
disease.” But there is good news.
P
Dr. Pahlajani has implemented a
treatment at Scott & White Medical
Center - Temple that may offer hope
to these patients. Stereotactic body
radiation therapy, or SBRT, targets
tumors with brief, high doses of
radiation, sparing surrounding normal
tissue and organs, and offering patients
a chance to have life-extending surgery.
Surgery offers the best outcome
for pancreatic cancer patients, as long
as the tumor is detected early. Often,
however, by the time the tumor is
detected it has grown so large a surgeon
cannot operate without harming a
neighboring organ or another nearby
structure such as a blood vessel,
Dr. Pahlajani says. “When patients
aren’t surgical candidates, their survival
rate is much poorer.” SBRT works to
reverse a tumor’s growth so that these
patients can receive surgery after all.
SBRT treatment, now available at Scott & White Medical Center - Temple,
offers new hope for pancreatic cancer patients with inoperable tumors by
shrinking the tumor away from surrounding tissues
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THE CATALYST Spring 17 | sw.org