What is "radiosurgery"

n. (context medicine English) The use of a directed beam of X-rays or other ionizing radiation to destroy diseased tissue

Radiosurgery is surgery using radiation, that is, the destruction of precisely selected areas of tissue using ionizing radiation rather than excision with a blade. Like other forms of radiation therapy, it is usually used to treat cancer. Radiosurgery was originally defined by the Swedish neurosurgeon Lars Leksell as “a single high dose fraction of radiation, stereotactically directed to an intracranial region of interest”. In stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), the word stereotactic refers to a three-dimensional coordinate system that enables accurate correlation of a virtual target seen in the patient's diagnostic images with the actual target position in the patient.

Technological improvements in medical imaging and computing have led to increased clinical adoption of stereotactic radiosurgery and have broadened its scope in recent years. Notwithstanding these improvements, the localization accuracy and precision that are implicit in the word “stereotactic” remain of utmost importance for radiosurgical interventions today. Stereotactic accuracy and precision are significantly increased by using a device known as the N-localizer that was invented by the American physician and computer scientist Russell Brown and that has achieved widespread clinical use in several stereotactic surgical and radiosurgical systems.

Recently, the original concept of radiosurgery has been expanded to include treatments comprising up to five fractions, and stereotactic radiosurgery has been redefined as a distinct neurosurgical discipline that utilizes externally generated ionizing radiation to inactivate or eradicate defined targets in the head or spine without the need for a surgical incision. Irrespective of the similarities between the concepts of stereotactic radiosurgery and fractionated radiotherapy, and although both treatment modalities are reported to have identical outcomes for certain indications, the intent of both approaches is fundamentally different. The aim of stereotactic radiosurgery is to destroy target tissue while preserving adjacent normal tissue, where fractionated radiotherapy relies on a different sensitivity of the target and the surrounding normal tissue to the total accumulated radiation dose. Historically, the field of fractionated radiotherapy evolved from the original concept of stereotactic radiosurgery following discovery of the principles of radiobiology: repair, reassortment, repopulation, and reoxygenation. Today, both treatment techniques are complementary as tumors that may be resistant to fractionated radiotherapy may respond well to radiosurgery and tumors that are too large or too close to critical organs for safe radiosurgery may be suitable candidates for fractionated radiotherapy.

Radiosurgery is the seventh studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was first released on September 30, 2011 in Australia, before its wider release on October 4 through independent label Epitaph Records. It is the band's final studio album to feature founding guitarist Steve Klein. To follow up predecessor Not Without a Fight (2009), the band began writing new material during their stint on the 2010 Honda Civic Tour. After self-producing a set of demos and contacting long-term record producer Neal Avron, the band went on to record the album in Avron's home recording studio over a period of three months in 2011. The quintet set out to write an album that paid homage to classic punk rock records that first inspired them to form a band during the 1990s. Listening extensively to the likes of early Green Day and Ramones, New Found Glory strove to create a sound that could "bridge the gap" between old and new generations of the genre.

The album title is a reference to the actual medical procedure radiosurgery, with the lyrics directly influenced by a troubled divorce suffered within the band. Radiosurgery was written as a concept album about the different emotions an individual goes through after a separation, including feelings of regret, sadness, and insanity. The band looked up several brain surgeries, settling on Radiosurgery, using the idea that instead of using the procedure to remove a tumor from the brain, it could remove memories.

The first official single from the album was title track " Radiosurgery", released on August 2. Upon its release, Radiosurgery was a moderate commercial success, debuting at number twenty six on the Billboard 200, number four on the Top Independent Albums chart, and number one on the Hard Rock Albums chart. The album was also well received by music critics, who noted its throwback sound and infectious songwriting, seeing it receive various accolades from within the rock music community.

"Radiosurgery" is a song written by American rock band New Found Glory, serving as the lead single and title track for their seventh studio album Radiosurgery (2011). Its name is taken from the actual medical procedure radiosurgery, being used as a metaphor after one band member suffered a marriage break up. The single was released on August 2, 2011 as a digital download, while the music video premiered on September 14, 2011. The single was also available on limited edition 7" Vinyl.