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Lung Cancer Treatment

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

A Bloodless, Non-invasive, Outpatient Treatment for Lung Tumors

Find out if you're eligible for Radiosurgery

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in Singapore and is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. There are many treatment options for lung cancer depending on factors such as stage of disease, age, and one's fitness for surgery. Every person's cancer is different so it is important that a careful workup is performed so that treatment can be personalised to each individual.

In this modern era, scientific and technological advances have provided new treatments for lung cancer that are minimally invasive, precise, and with less side effects compared to conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and open surgery. Stereotactic Radiosurgery (also known as bloodless surgery), Targeted Therapy (also known as "magic bullet" chemo pills) and Immunotherapy (to boost our own immunity) are such examples that have provided new hope in the fight against both early and late stage lung cancer.

For early-stage lung cancers, the alternative treatment to surgery is Stereotactic Ablative Radiosurgery also known as (SABR), which is fondly regarded by the oncology community as the lightsaber of radiation therapy.

What is Lung Stereotactic Ablative Radiosurgery & Why should I consider it

Lung Stereotactic Ablative Radiosurgery (SABR) is a non-invasive, highly targeted form of radiation treatment that is recommended in international cancer guidelines as an alternative to surgery in early stage lung cancers for selected patient groups. SABR has been proven in studies to confer excellent survival rates at 85% at three years, comparable to surgery and is an increasingly important option in early stage lung cancer treatment.

* The NCCN guidelines on NSCLC is written by 30 leading cancer centres in the U.S and is regarded as the gold standard internationally

Lung SABR is also commonly used in stage 4 cancers to target tumors that have spread to the lung, and to prevent or relief symptoms. Often, it is combined with immunotherapy to achieve a synergistic effect. Unlike surgery or other invasive procedures, SABR does not cause disruption to the continued use of chemotherapy or targeted therapy in these patients.

SABR works by using technologically advanced machines to deliver extremely focused beams carrying high doses of radiation directly to the tumour to destroy it. With SABR, an entire treatment course can be completed in three to five outpatient sessions over two weeks, with no surgical or anaesthetic risk.