Sponsored by
MANHASSET -- The North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System this introduced one of the most innovative and advanced technologies to treat tumors of the brain, head, neck, spine and other areas of the body without harming surrounding tissue. It is the first time the technology has been used on Long Island.
Located at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH), the $3 million Novalis system is a state-of-the-art approach to stereotactic (computer-assisted three-dimensional targeting) radiosurgery and radiotherapy to treat benign and malignant tumors, vascular malformations, trigeminal neuralgia (a severe facial pain syndrome) and other neurologic conditions. Radiosurgery with the Novalis device is non invasive and provides a precise dose of high-energy radiation to shrink or control the growth of a tumor by killing tumor cells or interfering with their ability to grow.
By continuously shaping the treatment beam to match the size and shape of a patient’s tumor from different angles, Novalis ensures that the tumor receives the full dose of radiation while protecting healthy tissue. During treatment, the device steadily moves around the patient’s body so that the radiation penetrates the tumor or lesion from different angles.
“Novalis represents a new level in delivering sophisticated radiation treatment to patients in a very precise way,” said Itzhak Goldberg, MD, North Shore-LIJ’s radiation oncologist-in-chief. “The new technology increases our ability to treat patients with lesions in the brain and makes radiosurgery more effective for treatment in other parts of the body. This is the best equipment available, and is a complement in the continuum of radiosurgery and radiotherapy technology in the health system.”
“This system gives us an alternative treatment option for patients with a variety of benign and malignant lesions, allowing us to treat these lesions while sparing surrounding healthy tissues, offering the most precise, effective and safest treatment available,” said Alon Mogilner, director of functional and restorative neurosurgery at NSUH.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is applied in a single session with a high dose of radiation. Stereotactic radiotherapy is administered in a series of treatment sessions over a specified time period. Treatment is virtually painless and is usually performed on an outpatient basis. The multidisciplinary radiosurgery team is comprised of experts from the fields of radiation oncology, neurosurgery, oncology, radiation physics and neurology. They work together to provide the optimum treatment plan for each patient.
-- Betty Olt