What Is Gamma Knife Surgery?

Mar 28, 2022

When exploring treatments for brain tumours and other specific conditions related to brain tissue, one of the specialist options that has been increasingly considered is known as gamma knife surgery, also known as stereotactic radiosurgery.

Contrary to its name, gamma knife surgery does not involve an actual knife, nor is it technically a surgery, but instead is a highly advanced non-surgical treatment used for very specific cases.

Instead, stereotactic radiosurgery is a precise beam of gamma radiation made up of a series of individual weaker beams that are focused on the precise location of a lesion or a tumour so that it does not affect any nearby healthy brain tissue.

Whilst both adults and children can have the treatment, there is a range of factors that your neurologist will consider before prescribing the stereotactic radiosurgery, which includes the size of the area to be treated, overall health and the specific nature of the condition.

Typically, the main conditions that can be treated include:

  • lesions and tumours on the brain,
  • facial pains caused by compressed nerves known as trigeminal neuralgia,
  • a genetic disorder that creates a tangle of abnormal blood vessels known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM),
  • clustered blood vessels at the top of your spinal cord and brain known as cavernoma,
  • specific types of epilepsy.

Typically, whilst the actual gamma knife procedure is relatively short, there are considerable amounts of preparation involved to calibrate the advanced systems that will undertake the radiation process.

The first step involves fitting a lightweight frame to your head to keep it still and ensure the beams are focused accurately, as well as injecting local anaesthetic to ensure the procedure is not painful.

After this is an imaging session, typically using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) to find the position of the lesion or tumour relative to the frame and create an exact treatment plan.

This plan is calculated with the help of an advanced computer system and specialists who will determine the correct treatment for you before the treatment takes place.

Govt ‘Should Focus Money On Brain Tumour Research’

Mar 16, 2022

The government needs to plough more money into brain tumour research if it wants to make an impact in saving lives, a charity stated in response to the Department for Health and Social Care’s War On Cancer.

Earlier this month, the government launched an open consultation entitled 10-Year Cancer Plan: Call For Evidence, requesting ideas and evidence over a period of eight weeks to shape a decade-long plan to improve patient care, advance technologies and reduce the number of people affected by this dreadful disease.

The secretary of state Sajid Javid said: “It is time to declare a national war on cancer, which is the biggest cause of death from disease in this country. It is a menace that has taken far too many people before their time and caused grief and suffering on a massive scale.”

While the Brain Tumour Research charity welcomes the government’s plans to tackle disparities and inequalities, focus on early diagnosis, intensify research and improve cancer prevention, its director of research, policy and innovation Dr Karen Noble noted “the devil is in the detail”.

She said only 40 per cent of cancer cases are triggered by preventable risk factors, and the causes of brain tumours, specifically, remain unknown. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to provide health education on how to prevent certain cancers.

“The answer to that lies in greater understanding of the disease because before public health advice comes scientific research,” Dr Noble stated.

At least £35 million a year is required to invest in brain tumour research in order to find a cure for the disease within the next 20 years.

Brain Tumour Research, therefore, would have wanted to see more details about how the government intends to ‘intensify cancer research’ within its plan.

For radiosurgical brain tumour treatment, book a call with us today.