Dr. Lederman performs innovative treatment for a variety of cancers with fractionated brain radiosurgery, fractionated body radiosurgery, prostate brachytherapy, and additional therapies. To learn more about these treatment options, please contact Dr. Lederman by email or by phone.
Dr. Lederman has always sought new angles to successfully attack brain tumors. Currently, fractionated stereotactic brain radiosurgery represents the leading technologic edge for patients with benign and malignant brain tumors. Fractionated stereotactic brain radiosurgery directs computer-guided beams of radiation from many different angles to converge on a tumor. The treatment is non-invasive, so there is no cutting, bleeding, pins in the head, anesthesia, or hospital stay. Further, by dividing the dose into fractions, there is less likelihood of harm to the healthy tissues compared to single fraction radiosurgery or open surgery.
Stereotactic brain radiosurgery uses highly focused radiation often in higher than usual doses. The system is precise by its nature and delivery. Because of the larger than usual doses, the results are in general more effective and can often be used even when prior chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery has been unsuccessful.
Dr. Lederman has unmatched experience performing fractionated stereotactic brain radiosurgery and is one of the acknowledged pioneers in the field. He has the largest experience worldwide treating acoustic neuromas using FSR, and also has extensive experience treating meningiomas, metastases to the brain, as well as primary brain tumors such as glioblastomas and strocytomas.
The benefit of stereotactic body radiosurgery is that it allows Dr. Lederman to perform more precise treatment than previously thought possible. Rather than radiating larger areas of the body to the prescribed dose, body radiosurgery directs treatment only on the cancer area. By focusing the beam more precisely, often higher doses can be given — and because higher doses can be given, treatment is carried out frequently with fewer sessions in a shorter period of time, with greater biologic effectiveness. Stereotactic body radiosurgery can also be given on a daily basis, and in some cases, in lieu of more standard or conformal radiation.
Fractionated stereotactic body radiosurgery can be used to treat tumors essentially anywhere on the body, including the neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and extremities, as well as organs such as the lung, mediastinum, lymph nodes, skin, bones, liver, pancreas, spleen, kidney, bladder, gynecologic, urologic, and many others. By using a stereotactic frame, it is more precise than conformal radiation, and with radiation-shaped technology such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), patients can have the best of both worlds — highly focused radiation using stereotactic radiosurgery and precisely shaped radiation using IMRT. For this reason, stereotactic body radiosurgery offers great appeal.
An important area of Dr. Lederman’s work is prostate cancer. Many patients wish to avoid the surgery associated with radical prostatectomy or the prolonged course of radiation associated with external radiation or conformal radiation. For this reason, they may be candidates for treatment with Dr. Lederman’s unique program of palladium seed implantation and/or fractionated stereotactic body radiosurgery.
Dr. Lederman and the staff at RSNY have nearly a decade and a half experience with seed implantation, having placed 200,000 prostate seeds. Prostate brachytherapy with seed implantation alone is minimally invasive and offers the appeal of a high cancer-free survival rate while avoiding the invasion of the prolonged course of conformal radiation or radical prostatectomy. For years the radical prostatectomy has been the so-called standard urologists used to treat localized prostate carcinoma. Unfortunately, there are many unwanted side effects associated with radical prostatectomy, including recurrence of cancer, operative difficulties, and sexual and urinary dysfunction. It is for those reasons that seed implantation offers great appeal.
Men who choose seeds plus body radiosurgery for prostate cancer can be confident that body radiosurgery is precisely directed using a stereotactic frame to maintain the accurate position of the body. Seeds plus sophisticated beam shaping such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) means more accurate treatment than conformal radiation or IMRT alone. And because the treatment incorporates body radiosurgery after seed implantation, this means the seeds are still working when body radiosurgery is given. The goal with this treatment sequence is a better outcome for the patient.
Acoustic neuromas are benign tumors of the 8th cranial nerve. Often early symptoms include hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and imbalance. The degree of symptoms varies greatly between patients — some having a predominance of one or another. In fact, greater symptoms usually, but not always, occur based on the size of the tumor. Also, symptoms can vary with some having large tumors and few symptoms and others having small tumors — yet with a great degree of symptoms.
Radiosurgery for acoustic neuromas has been used for about 35 years. Dr. Lederman has created a unique program for the treatment of acoustic neuromas that has been remarkable in many ways, including the fact that it is used with the lowest biologic dose worldwide and that the dose is fractionated, or divided. The treatment is also non-invasive and well tolerated. Treatments are usually delivered on an alternate-day basis to improve hearing. Eighty percent of the patients treated have stable or improved hearing and approximately 95% of patients do have some degree of hearing. This is all markedly different from single fractionated radiosurgery or open surgery.
Dr. Lederman has the most experience worldwide using fractionated radiosurgery for treatment of acoustic neuromas. His data is reported at national and international meetings and patients seek his treatment from around the world. If you are interested in finding out more about treatment for acoustic neuromas, Dr. Lederman has patients willing to discuss their experience.
Cabrini Medical Center
227 East 19th Street
New York, New York 10003
Phone: (866) 497-8870
Brain Tumors
Cancers of the Body
Prostate Cancer