Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR)
Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is delivered with fewer treatment fractions than conventional radiotherapy and can lead to fewer side effects as its so accurately targeted. We work with experienced and renowned consultants and radiotherapy specialists who provide exceptional patient care from your very first consultation.
Quick facts
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What is it for?
Treating some limited spread from many cancers cancers and some neurological conditions
Treatment overview
Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) delivers extremely precise, high doses of radiation to cancer cellstumours while minimising damage to healthy tissue.
SABR uses state-of-the-art technology that pinpoints the exact three-dimensional location of a tumour within the body and tracks it during treatment. Compared to standard radiotherapy, the main benefits of SABR are that it leads to fewer side effects and disrupts people’s lives less. This is because the overall number of treatment sessions are shorter and take place over fewer weeksis less because a much higher dose is delivered with each treatment fraction.
At The London Clinic, we work with a team of world-class consultants who are experts at developing personalised treatment plans that maximise what SABR has to offer. SABR is usually undertaken as part of a multimodality personalised approach to cancer that may also include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, other forms of ablation or surgery.
They’re assisted by an expert multidisciplinary team that will support you from your first consultation, during your treatment and throughout your recovery.
Radiotherapy treatment is provided in the calm and welcoming surroundings of the Duchess of Devonshire wing.
As one of our patients, you’ll also receive exceptional personal care to maintain your physical health and emotional wellbeing the whole time you’re with us, including therapies such as acupuncture and reflexology.
Why choose The London Clinic
Excellence in one place
We operate as teams of experts with world-class resources dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of medical care. You are surrounded by the latest treatments and advice with everything you need to get back to your best health.
Personal care, every time
Exceptional patient care is a way of life for us. Our nurses, clinicians and support teams are dedicated to the care of a very small number of patients, so have more time for you. They’ll be with you every step of the way, tailoring your care around you and giving the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing you’re in the best hands.
Effortlessly simple
We work together as one to guide you through each step of your experience, with complexities unravelled and answers readily to hand. Your personal treatment plan will be laid out for you, with all the details taken care of so you can focus on you.
FAQ's
Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) – also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) – is a type of external beam radiotherapy.
It involves a specialised radiotherapy machine producing multiple highly focused beams of radiation. These beams are delivered from many different angles around the body and meet converge withinat the tumour.
This ensures the tumour receives a very high dose of radiation and the surrounding healthy tissue receives a much lower dose. This helps to destroy cancer cells more effectively and lowers the risk of side effects.
Usually you have one to eight treatments of SABR, with each appointment taking typically 30–60 minutes. At The London Clinic, we have a state-of-the-art CyberKnife machine that can deliver incredibly accurate stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.
CyberKnife has a robotic arm with a treatment head at the end of it that moves around you while you’re on the treatment couch. It delivers around 80 to 150 narrow beams of radiation from different angles.
During your treatment, your tumour may move because of your breathing or movements of your body. CyberKnife continually checks for this by using multiple X-ray cameras and powerful software., to track the tumour as you breathe.
If the CyberKnife machine does spot that your cancer has moved, it automatically adjusts the beams of radiation to maximise the accuracy of your radiation treatment.
Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is mainly used to treat very small cancers, including:
• A cancer that starts in the lung (primary lung cancer)
• A cancer that starts in the liver (HCC) or spreads to the liver (liver metastasis)
• Cancers in the lymph nodes
• Spinal cord tumours
• Cancer spread in the brain - SRS
• Prostate cancer
• Two big indications for SABR now are patients with oligometastases (1 – 5 tumours) or Oligoprogression (stable or responding disease in most of the cancer deposits but 1 – 3 growing tumours)
SABR may also be recommended for:
• People with cancer who have tumours not suitable for conventional radiotherapy
• People who have previously been treated with conventional radiotherapy
• People whose general health makes it hard for them to have extensive surgery or an anaesthetic
• People who want to avoid surgery for personal reasons
Compared to standard radiotherapy and surgery, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy typically delivers the following benefits:
Fewer side effects
Short-term side effects caused by SABR are usually temporary and mild because less healthy tissue is damaged. Serious side effects can occur but are rare. Your consultant will discuss all potential side effects with you.
Non-invasive treatment
SABR is a painless procedure. It usually involves no medication (anaesthetic) to reduce pain or discomfort. Cyberknife may involve insertion of small metallic markers, about thesize of a grain of rice.
Minimal recovery
In most cases, people can resume normal activities within one to two days after SBRT. In contrast, conventional surgery may take several weeks to recover from.
Less time in hospital
SBRT is carried out as an outpatient procedure that normally lasts 30–60 minutes. You usually have one to eight treatments that are spread over a period of up to two weeks. Compared to standard radiotherapy, this means you spend much less time in hospital, and travelling to and from it.
No disruption to treatment
Because SABR is usually straightforward and given in eight or fewer sessions, delays with other cancer treatments are rare. In contrast, standard radiotherapy is delivered in relatively small doses of radiation over several weeks. This increases the risk of other treatments, such as chemotherapy, being delayed.
Treatment with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy usually causes fewer side effects than standard radiotherapy. If you are affected by side effects following SABR, they usually don’t occur straight after treatment.
Instead, they tend to develop later during your course of treatment or days or weeks after treatment finishes. There’s also a small chance you’ll be affected by late effects of radiotherapy that start month or years after treatment.
General side effects of SABR include:
• Soreness and swelling in the area you’ve been treated
• Tiredness and low energy (fatigue) that may occur for the first few days after SABR
• Skin reactions, such as red, dry or itchy skin
• Nausea (abdominal treatments)
You may also be affected by other side effects that are specific to your type of cancer and where it’s located in your body. Your consultant will discuss these with you, as well as potential late effects of SABR treatment.