Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)

Stereotactic body radiotherapy delivers precisely targeted radiation to a small treatment area over a limited number of visits.

It is also called SBRT or SABR. Detailed imaging and positioning are used to aim a high dose at the planned target while limiting exposure to nearby healthy tissue. For some people with non-small cell lung cancer, it may be considered when surgery is unsuitable or when the care team believes focused radiation is an appropriate local treatment.

Before treatment, you have a planning appointment. Scans map the target and surrounding organs, and a personalised position is made so you can be placed consistently for each visit. The team may account for breathing movement when planning treatment near the lungs.

At each session, radiographers position you, take verification images and deliver radiation from outside the body. You do not feel the radiation beam. Staying still is important, and the team can communicate with you throughout the appointment.

Effects depend on the body area treated. Tiredness, skin sensitivity and temporary irritation of nearby tissues can occur. Treatment to the chest can cause cough, breathlessness or discomfort when swallowing; effects may begin during treatment or later.

Contact your treatment team promptly for worsening shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, coughing up blood, severe swallowing difficulty or symptoms that feel urgent. These symptoms need assessment because they can have different causes, including inflammation or infection.

SBRT is designed to control a defined target using highly focused radiation. Whether it is suitable, and what it may achieve, depends on the diagnosis, target size and position, prior treatments, overall health and whether cancer is present elsewhere.

Your oncology team reviews scans and treatment planning together to balance local control with protection of nearby organs. Follow-up imaging is interpreted in context because treated tissue can change in appearance after radiation.

SBRT is an outpatient treatment for many people. Planning commonly takes longer than an individual radiation session because accuracy checks are built into the process.

A radiation oncologist may discuss SBRT for a small, clearly defined tumour or limited area that can be treated safely with focused beams. The decision considers how close the target is to airways, the spinal cord, the heart or other sensitive structures.

People who have already had chest radiation need an individual review, since prior treatment changes the amount of radiation nearby tissue can receive.

Bring your appointment details and follow any instructions about food, drinks or regular medicines. Wear clothing that is easy to change out of if needed. A radiographer helps you into the planned position and makes comfort adjustments before imaging starts.

Once staff leave the room, cameras and an intercom allow continuous monitoring. The machine may move around you, but it does not touch you. After the session, you can usually leave once the radiographers have completed their checks.

Most people return home on the day of each session. Fatigue can build gradually, so allow time for rest and keep usual activities flexible. Your team will tell you when follow-up scans or appointments are planned and which symptoms should prompt an earlier call.

Focused planning reduces dose to nearby tissue but cannot remove all risk. Depending on the site, radiation can cause inflammation, scarring, changes in organ function or injury to structures close to the target. Your clinician can explain the risks that apply to your own plan before you consent.

Alternatives may include surgery, another radiation approach, systemic treatment, active monitoring or symptom-focused care. The most appropriate option depends on the aim of treatment and your individual circumstances. A lung lobectomy removes part of the lung and is a different local-treatment approach for selected people.

Look for a radiation oncology service with experience in stereotactic planning for the body area being treated. At the consultation, ask how breathing or movement will be managed, what support is available between visits, and who to contact if symptoms change.