For Multiple Brain Mets Patients, Significantly Less Healthy Brain Exposed with Dedicated Radiosurgery Devices Compared to Multi-Purpose Radiotherapy Systems

ZAP Surgical Systems, Inc., developer of the ZAP-X® Gyroscopic Radiosurgery® platform, today announced the publication of a new peer-reviewed scientific study titled “A Comparison of Whole Brain Dose During Multiple Metastases Stereotactic Radiosurgery Delivery Across Technology Platforms.” The research, published with contributions from leading neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical physicists at Stanford University, Miami Cancer Institute and elsewhere, provides one of the most comprehensive cross-platform analyses of radiosurgery dose spill to uninvolved brain tissue when treating multiple brain metastases, the most common indication treated with this highly intricate procedure.

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Stereotactic radiosurgery platform comparison showing volume (cc) of normal brain receiving 12 Gy (V12Gy) vs treatment time.

The study evaluated treatment plans for a standardized patient case with 10 brain metastases across six leading stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) systems, including multi-purpose C-arm linear accelerators, full-body robotic systems, as well as dedicated SRS systems including cobalt-60 based units, and self-shielded gyroscopic platforms. Researchers reported striking disparities in radiation exposure to healthy brain tissue, with up to a 50-fold variation in low-dose radiation spill between platforms. Dedicated cranial radiosurgery devices, such as ZAP Surgical’s ZAP-X® and Elekta’s Gamma Knife®, were shown to minimize exposure far more effectively than multi-purpose radiotherapy systems.

“These findings underscore that not all SRS technologies are equal when it comes to protecting healthy brain,” said John R. Adler, MD, Stanford neurosurgeon and founder of ZAP Surgical. “As patients with brain metastases live longer, the cumulative effects of low-dose radiation on cognition and quality of life become critical considerations in platform selection.”

Unlike other historical platform comparisons, the analyzed treatment plans in this recent study focused on the realities of routine clinical practice. Thus, the results did not represent the maximal or ‘competitive’ capabilities of each platform under idealized, highly curated simulations (e.g. plans requiring excessive patient repositioning and/or impractical treatment times). Instead, they strove to represent how patients are often treated in actual day-to-day clinical practice.

The publication also highlights emerging neuro-radiobiology evidence that even relatively low doses of radiation can disrupt brain circuitry and impair cognitive function, raising new concerns about reliance on generalized radiotherapy systems for the treatment of complex brain disease.

To read the full peer-reviewed publication, please visit https://www.cureus.com/articles/415528-a-comparison-of-whole-brain-dose-during-stereotactic-radiosurgery-for-multiple-metastases-across-technology-platforms?score_article=true#!/. Or for additional general information regarding the ZAP-X Gyroscopic Radiosurgery platform, please visit www.zapsurgical.com.

The ZAP-Axon Radiosurgery Planning System is pending US FDA 510(k) clearance and EU CE mark declaration.

About ZAP Surgical Systems, Inc.

ZAP Surgical Systems, Inc., a global leader in non-invasive robotic brain surgery, is committed to reducing the costs and complexities that limit access to world-class radiosurgery (SRS) for the brain, head, and neck. The company manufactures the ZAP-X® Gyroscopic Radiosurgery® platform and is also pioneering new applications of high-precision SRS in areas such as depression, addiction, and obesity. Founded in 2014 by Dr. John R. Adler, Emeritus Dorothy & TK Chan Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology at Stanford University, ZAP introduced the world’s first vault-free radiosurgery platform - eliminating the need for costly shielded treatment rooms and enabling flexible, high-visibility siting. ZAP-X also advances beyond legacy Cobalt-60 technology with a modern linear accelerator for safer, more sustainable care. Learn more at ZAP Surgical and follow us on LinkedIn.

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