For the first time in history, on November 24 “World Radiosurgery Day” was celebrated. This date is the birthday of Swedish Neurosurgery Professor Lars Leksell, considered as the “father of radiosurgery”.
Radiosurgery was conceived to improve outcomes associated with traditional brain surgery; it uses precise and very focal radiation energy delivery to treat brain disorders.
The foundation for radiosurgery was laid in the late 1940s, and the first patient was treated in 1951. Since then, millions of patients have been treated using radiosurgical devices that combine the accuracy and precision of image-guidance with the ability to focus radiation beams thereby eliminating the need for invasive surgery. Continued improvements have been seen in radiosurgical technologies and treatment paradigms, leading to more refined treatments and expanded indications. Ongoing research and clinical trials have better defined treatment indications and improved patient outcomes.
The role of radiosurgery has evolved and extended far beyond the original concept. Although the first radiosurgical indications were focused on pain and other functional disorders, the principles of intracranial radiosurgery have expanded to treat a large number of brain and skull-base conditions, and have been applied extracranially, to give rise to stereotactic body radiotherapy which is a standard of care for many cancer patients including those with lung, liver, and spinal tumors. Every day thousands of patients benefit from incisionless radiosurgery performed at medical centers throughout the world.
By celebrating World Radiosurgery Day on November 24, healthcare professionals, policy leaders, patients, and caregivers around the world were recognized for their tremendous efforts to date and the impact of radiosurgery on contemporary health care. On behalf of early pioneers in the field, current radiosurgery practitioners and the patients we treat, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and its Neuropoint Alliance radiosurgery registry team thank you for joining us in celebrating “World Radiosurgery Day”.
