When a patient hears a diagnosis of "brain cancer" from a doctor, it sounds like a death sentence for him. The first feelings that take possession of a person are confusion, fear, panic. A lot of questions immediately arise. Why me? What to do? How to heal? Will I be he althy?
Surgery without blood
Today, most people who are faced with adversity can be sure that the disease is curable. The gamma knife will come to the rescue - a tool that can rightfully be called a wonder of the world of the twentieth century. The operating principle of the advanced technique is based on the action of gamma radiation.
Despite the intimidating name, this is a bloodless knife. The method of treatment with its help does not provide for surgical intervention. It belongs to the category of stereotaxic surgery, that is, the treatment of a brain disease occurs without incisions and opening of the skull. The technology was developed back in the sixties of the last century. The development belongs to Swedish specialists and was first used in a private clinic in Stockholm.
The principle of operation of the stereotaxic method
What is Gamma Knife? The essence of the method of radiosurgical treatment is the precise effect of radiation rays on the affected area of the brain. The fundamental difference between innovation and traditional chemotherapy is that irradiation occurs not with a single radiation flux, but with a plurality of beams converging at one point. Due to this, the maximum concentration of the light flux falls on the focus of the disease, and the surrounding tissues remain practically untouched. A high degree of accuracy can be achieved due to the fact that the installation gives an error not exceeding a third of a millimeter.
Gamma knife surgery allows doctors to influence even the most inaccessible areas of the brain without damaging he althy tissue. Using the radiosurgical method, it is possible to get rid of tumors of any property located in the pituitary gland or the Turkish saddle with equal success. For many years of use in world practice, excellent results have been noted for influencing metastatic lesions. With the same success, various vascular anomalies of the head and some eye diseases are treated.
Benefits of treatment
Gamma Knife produces an effect similar in its results to surgery. But it has a number of advantages:
- operation is performed under the influence of local anesthesia;
- treatment is carried out within one day;
- no risk of infection or bleeding;
- no hospitalization required;
- the method has no restrictions on the age of patients;
- ensures normal portability;
- Treatment costs one third less than surgery.
Features of radiosurgery
The stereotactic method gives the maximum effect in cases where the diameter of the lesion does not exceed three centimeters. If the diseased area is large, then specialists may decide to remove part of the tumor surgically. Next comes radiosurgery. Gamma Knife can also be used in combination with chemotherapy and, if necessary, repeatedly. Irradiation of the body with this method occurs in small doses and, as a rule, does not cause a deterioration in well-being. In order to achieve the best result in the fight against the disease, there must always be close cooperation between radiotherapy doctors and neurosurgeons.
In the treatment of brain metastases, there have been cases of simultaneous exposure to radiosurgical radiation on several foci. In such cases, the effectiveness of treatment increases with the duration of the procedure. The innovative model of the Perfexion beam knife is capable of neutralizing several dozen brain metastases at once.
Gamma Knife - an alternative or a panacea?
Modern methods of non-invasive imaging enable doctors to make a more accurate diagnosis, according to which to determine treatment tactics, including recommending the use of a gamma knife. Reviews andopinions of neurosurgeons in relation to this type of treatment are reduced to the fact that it is still not a panacea. It should only be used for certain indications. The result of such an application will be to stop the disease process. In some cases, a decrease in the size of the tumor is observed. The beam knife plays a very important role in maintaining the quality of life. Stopping the disease in its development, the method gives doctors time and the opportunity to choose a further direction of treatment.
How Radiation Knife Treatment Works
Radiosurgical treatment is performed in one session and consists of several stages.
- On the appointed day, a stereotaxic frame is placed on the patient's head. For precise fixation and to avoid pain, local anesthesia is performed. Rigid fastening does not limit the patient's activity.
- Then there is a procedure for setting the exact coordinates of the tumor. For this purpose, special tomographs are used: high-performance magnetic resonance and multispiral computer. The gamma rays emitted by the device are focused on the pathological point, fixing its location. The permissible error in this case is no more than one millimeter.
- Based on the data obtained, a computer plan for the upcoming treatment is being developed. The preparatory work takes about two hours and is carried out with the joint participation of a medical physicist and a neurosurgeon. If necessary, a radiation oncologist is included in the group. The patient should rest during this time.
- Next entersthe gamma knife is activated, treatment with it takes about an hour. In difficult cases, the duration of the session increases. During treatment, the patient is conscious and does not feel any discomfort. If necessary, during the treatment process, short breaks are made for the person to rest.
After the end of the radiation procedure, the frame is removed from the patient's head and a bandage is applied. The patient does not need to stay in the hospital, the same day you can go home.
People who have undergone treatment with the Gamma Knife installation are observed by the doctors of the center for a long period. Doctors evaluate the results of the treatment process over time, noting the dynamics of changes in focal lesions. Depending on the complexity of the disease, control examinations are carried out within a year from one to four times.
Possible complications after using the Gamma Knife
The radiosurgery method, along with other types of treatment, can cause a number of certain complications. One of the most common types may be the appearance of swelling in the brain tissues located in the immediate vicinity of the affected area. The cause of this complication is exposure to low doses of gamma radiation. Edema usually does not require additional attention to itself and completely disappears within a month.
Other types of neurological complications in the brain may depend on the type of tumor, location, size, and individual characteristics of the organism.
Where Gamma Knife treatment is performed
Today, the successful operation of radiation units in three hundred medical centers around the world has been noted. The largest equipment equipment is observed in the United States of America, England and Japan - about two hundred pieces of equipment. In Russia, only ten years ago it became possible to purchase and install a gamma knife. Burdenko Research Institute of Neurosurgery was the first to open a department of stereotactic irradiation. Every day, three to four people receive radiosurgical treatment at the facility.
Beam equipment was also installed in St. Petersburg. It was there that the second branch, called the Gamma Knife, was opened. The sand village, where the Center for Oncology, Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Radiotherapy is located, LDC MIBS named after. Sergey Berezin, has already treated more than one and a half thousand patients.
How much does the treatment cost
The high cost of the equipment does not yet allow other CIS countries and neighboring countries to purchase it. Therefore, residents of Ukraine, Belarus, the B altic States, and the countries of Transcaucasia turn to Russian centers for help.
Treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery is paid. In most countries, the cost of medical services is quite high. For example, in an English private clinic, a treatment session will cost the patient the equivalent of forty thousand dollars. In the US, a gamma procedure will cost thirty thousand. The most affordable price in Russian centers: Moscow "Gamma Knife" Burdenko and in St. Petersburg. Here, radiation surgery will cost no more than six thousanddollars.
