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Gamma Knife

GAMMA KNIFE PERFEXION for the Treatment of Brain Tumors


Gamma Knife is superior to other techniques because:
  • It is more preciseIts technological features give it a precision of 0.3 mm

  • It is more effectiveIts efficacy has been proven through thousands of published scientific articles.

  • Scientific studies confirm that it obtains the best result without harming the patient.To date, almost 3,000 medical journal articles have been published about Gamma Knife.

  • It is used in a large number of centers.Gamma Knife is currently being used in about 300 centers around the world.

  • It has proven itself since 1968.It is a radio surgical technique that has been widely used for a long time.

Other techniques report their efficacy by comparing themselves with Gamma Knife. Gamma Knife is viewed as the gold standard of radiosurgery.


THE GAMMA KNIFE DIFFERENCE IN TREATMENT OF BRAIN TUMORS

The advanced technology Gamma Knife procedure makes it possible to treat brain tumors in a bloodless and painless fashion without open surgery so that the patient can return home the same day. The term radiosurgery was introduced to the world of medicine by the Swiss brain surgeon Lars Leksell and refers to the process of directing numerous low-energy radioactive beams that do not damage brain tissue to the diseased area within the skull and alter this tissue by focusing on the diseased point and releasing a strong dose of radiation only at this point.

What is Gamma Knife? Gamma Knife, a radiosurgery technique, was first used in 1968. In the beginning, it was employed in very few centers around the world, but as its therapeutic benefits were confirmed, its sphere of use widened. Today, Gamma Knife is being used in about 300 centers around the world. According to statistics from 2012, approximately 600,000 patients with a variety of brain diseases have been treated with Gamma Knife. There is no other device in this field that can approach the precision of Gamma Knife and has helped this many people.


Gamma Knife Perfexion, the new state-of-the-art model from Gamma Knife, which is characterized as the gold standard in Radiosurgery, shortens the treatment process for brain tumors painlessly and without open surgery, offering the patient convenience and comfort. Its advanced computer program helps specialists in treatment planning.
It can eliminate the need for open surgery on many brain tumors There few adverse effects following the procedure It does not require general anesthesia The patient can return to their home the day the treatment is performed There is no recovery period There is no incision on the scalp or head Hair does not have to be cut and does not fall out Tremendous benefit with little discomfort Ability to return to work quickly Less expensive than some surgical procedures Healthy brain tissue is exposed to very little radiation
Cyber Knife is the world’s first and only robotic radio surgical system designed to treat cancer throughout the body with mill metric precision.
Thanks to this system, cancerous areas in the brain and throughout the body can be treated by high doses of radiation. Normal tissue is preserved at maximum levels from the effects of radiation. The treatment device using computer-controlled robot technology turns around the patient as if it is dancing and performs the treatment by applying radiation from hundreds of angles. Cyber Knife is composed of subsystems that host many advanced high technologies. Cyber Knife, which is able to determine the place of the tumor under the guidance of its imaging system, is a highly precise computer-controlled robot system and a modern robotic patient positioning system. All these systems facilitate the treatment of the tumor with high precision
What are the treatable conditions?
Cyber Knife is cleared by the FDA for treatment of tumors and lesions anywhere in the body when radiation therapy is appropriate. However, patients should consult their physicians to determine if this treatment approach is right for them. Conditions that can be treated with Cyber Knife include:
  • Primary & Metastatic Brain Tumors
  • Spine Cancer
  • Spine Cancer
  • Soft Tissue Tumors(Lung, Kidney, Liver, Pancreas)
  • Acoustic Neuromas
  • Meningioma & Skull-base Tumors
  • Pituitary Tumors
  • Recurrent &Residual Tumors
  • Arteriovenous Malformations(AVMs)
  • Functional Disorders, such as Trigeminal Neuralgia


What are the advantages of Cyber Knife?
Painless treatment
There is no pain associated with radiaton treatment delivered by CyberKnife radiosurgery system.
Frameless
The ability of CyberKnife to correct for patient movement during treatment eliminates the pain and inconvenience associated with the rigid metal head frame used with other stereotactic techniques.
Full body capability
CyberKnife’s unique design allows treatment of tumors or lesions throughout the body, an entirely new approach for radiosurgery. Radiation treatment can be administered to soft tissues such as the lung, liver, kidney and other organs, as well as brain and spine.
Outpatient treatment
The Cyber Knife treatment greatly reduces the risk of complications and lengthily recovery time associated with traditional surgery. Cyber Knife can also perform “staged” radiosurgery-where the total radiation dose is divided into two to five smaller doses over several days. This is particularly beneficial for treating larger tumors or those near sensitive areas, providing better Radiation Oncology to surrounding tissue. After treatment, most patients can return home and resume their regular activities.
Techniques used in the application of Radiation Oncology:
SRT / SRS:

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), which can be explained as the treatment of a specific target by means of coordinates, refers to the complete destruction of the tumor in one single session through high doses of radiation after 3-D coordinates of the target are determined. When this therapy is applied in more than one session (generally 3-5 session), it is named as Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT).


Rapidarc

Rapidarc is a device which has been developed to combat cancer using “Volumetric Intensity Modulated Arc Treatment” technology. Rapidarc reduces image guided radiotherapy from 15-30 minutes to 2 minutes providing great comfort and ease in treatments. Contrary to other devices, Rapidarc applies radiation while rotating around the patient therefore treatment takes place before the patient has been given a chance to move. Rapidarc is a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) and reduces the IGRT to 2 minutes while the total time the patient remains on the table is a further 2 minutes. This means that the procedure takes only 4 minutes from beginning to end. While older methods of treatment would last 30-45 minutes, Rapidarc enables treatment to be over in just 4 minutes.


Trilogy
Trilogy is a cutting-edge radiation therapy device. It only kills cancer cells without damaging other organs around them by adjusting the strength of radiation according to the location and size of tumor and aiming the parts through CT images that need to be fixed. Trilogy intensively attacks cancer cells through 3D system rotating 360 degree around a patient. It makes a radiation therapy shorter with fewer side effects.
Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a method used to raise local control of the disorder by increasing the dose of radiation applied to the tumor before and after external radiotherapy. However, it may also be used on its own for curative purposes in patients whose situation is suitable for such treatment.


In brachytherapy, radioactive sources are placed in the tumor and target tissues with unique methods; thus, limitation of dose around sources is provided.
Techniques used in the application of Radiation Oncology:
  • IGRT : Image Guided Radiation Therapy
  • IMRT : Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
  • Conformal Radiotherapy: 3D Conformal Radiotherapy
  • SRT / SRS : Stereotactic Radiotherapy / Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Fields of application for radiotherapy

It is possible to separate radiotherapy in two main groups depending on the state of the disease:


1. Curative Radiotherapy:

In the light of the available information about the disease, it is applied in cases where the disease can be completely treated. It can be applied alone or with surgery and/or chemotherapy.


2. Palliative Radiotherapy:

Applied in cases where it is impossible to completely destroy the disease. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious, complex illness. For instance, the bone pain suffered by a patient can be reduced by radiotherapy. Blood loss can be brought under control with radiotherapy applied on hemorrhagic tumors. The radiation dose given in this type of radiotherapy is lesser than the dose given in curative radiotherapy. The treatment duration is also shorter.


da Vinci

The robot ‘da Vinci’ was developed by NASA to perform surgery on astronauts in space and carries out surgery using micro movements and generates three dimensional imaging. Therefore the most difficult surgery can be carried out safely. The only thing that is required is a doctor seated at the surgeon’s console located outside the surgical area. The da Vinci robot is used in many fields, especially urology, cardiovascular surgery, general surgery, ear-nose-throat and gynecology.