Risks, Complications and Side-effects of Radiosurgery

What are the Risks & Complications of Radiosurgery?

There are a couple of risks that may arise:

• Tissue Damage: A standard SRS may cause damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. This can be overcome by using a CyberKnife^�, which is far more accurate.
• Brain Swelling: There may be brain swelling in patients who receive SRS to the brain. However, this usually goes away by itself, but sometimes, medications may be required. In rare instances, surgery may be required to relieve the pressure.
• Radiation Necrosis: This is a late complication in which tumor cells killed by the radiation undergo necrosis and are not completely cleared by the body. In certain cases, this can aggravate the brain swelling.

What are the Side-effects of Radiosurgery?

The number and severity of the side-effects depend on the type and dosage of radiation used and the site treated. Side-effects may be of early onset or late onset, which are highlighted below:

Early Side-effects

• Swelling and soreness
• Skin problems (redness, itchiness, dryness, blistering, peeling)
• Headache
• Hair loss
• Digestive problems
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Urinary problems

Late Side-effects

• Changes in the brain, spinal cord, lungs, kidneys, or colon
• Infertility
• Lymphedema
• Secondary cancer
• Bone fracture

References:

1. Leksell L. The stereotaxic method and radiosurgery of the brain. Acta Chir Scand. 1951; 102(4): 316-9. - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14914373)
2. Stereotactic Radiosurgery - Mayo Clinic - (https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stereotactic-radiosurgery/about/pac-20384526)
3. Radiosurgery for Brain Tumors - Cancer Research UK - (https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/brain-tumours/treatment/radiotherapy/radiosurgery)
4. Stereotactic Radiosurgery - CyberKnife� - Medline Plus, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA - (https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007274.htm)
5. Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) - RadiologyInfo.org - (https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=stereotactic)

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