What’s the Best Way to Treat Your Brain Tumor?
More Patients Choose Gamma Knife^® Surgery

There are few words more frightening than “cancer.” To learn that it has spread to your brain can be devastating. Yet there is hope, in the form of non-invasive treatment that doesn’t require surgery and is medically proven to be effective.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery has been used for decades to treat brain tumors and brain disorders, and thanks to constant advancements in technology, remains the choice of neurosurgeons worldwide. In fact, almost half a million people have been treated with Gamma Knife surgery, with a high rate of success.

Studies show that local control exceeds an average of 85% for the management of tumors in any brain location. And, despite the name, there is no blade or knife – it’s called Gamma Knife because of the surgical precision and effectiveness. So there’s no incision or blood, and minimal risk of complications.

With success comes imitators, and the same is true for stereotactic radiosurgery. About 10 years ago, another type of machine was introduced that claimed to be “as good as” Leksell Gamma Knife. The CyberKnife is an all-in-one system that can be used to treat both the brain and other parts of the body.

While hospital administrators may like buying one machine instead of a specialized system just to treat brain tumors, neurosurgeons haven’t embraced the idea. Leksell Gamma Knife is unique in many ways – in fact, it’s the only radiosurgery treatment system designed solely for the brain, the most complex area in the body .

Defining Your Options

It can be difficult to sort out competing claims, especially if your doctor isn’t providing you with information. To begin, let’s define a few terms that you probably aren’t familiar with if you’re not in the medical field.

Radiosurgery is the delivery of a single, large dose of radiation to a specific target in the brain with surgical precision. The radiation will react on a molecular level with the cancer cells and stop their reproduction, which kills the cancer.

Stereotactic radiosurgery, as is used in Gamma Knife surgery, means a 3D reference frame will be attached to your head during the procedure. This type of frame is used for almost all major neurosurgery, and it is simply a lightweight metal frame with pins that are secured to your head in four spots. Patients say it can be somewhat uncomfortable for the few hours you wear it, but the absolute assurance of accuracy is worth it.

CyberKnife doesn’t use a frame, but instead relies on a claustrophobic mask to restrict head movement. This type of mask was tried with Gamma Knife, but discarded because it didn’t offer the certainty of the stereotactic frame. So technically, CyberKnife is not “stereotactic radiosurgery” because it doesn’t use a 3D reference frame.

A Moving Target – Why you want to be ‘Framed’

With Gamma Knife surgery, your head frame locks into the high precision and secure treatment delivery system – it almost looks like you’re being inserted in a dome-shaped giant hair dryer. There is absolute stability, which leads to greater accuracy. It’s like putting a camera on a tripod rather than trying to hold it steady.

In contrast, the CyberKnife mask tolerates some head movement and the delivery system itself is on a robotic arm that moves around your head. Your head will be imaged every 10 seconds (sometime less often), but what if movement occurs in those 10 seconds between imaging and the actual dose delivery?  Don’t sneeze or fidget!

Because large doses of misguided radiation can harm healthy brain tissue, it’s vital that only the affected area in the brain is treated. Gamma Knife is guaranteed accurate to 0.5mm – the size of a pinpoint. That’s far more accurate than CyberKnife, which is why Gamma Knife is used to treat delicate brain disorders such as tumors, vascular malformations*, and functional problems such as trigeminal neuralgia*.

*Currently in clinical research.

Fast, Gentle, Safe

Because Gamma Knife radiosurgery is so accurate, the full dose of radiation can be delivered during a single session, compared with multiple visits for CyberKnife. And you don’t have to worry about excess radiation – the Gamma Knife system’s intelligent design keeps radiation from the rest of the body. In fact, CyberKnife has 100 times more stray radiation in a given treatment compared to Gamma Knife.

The actual Gamma Knife surgery is a gentle treatment with little or no pain that can be performed on an outpatient basis in a few hours. There are minimal side effects – some people may complain of a headache, which can be treated with aspirin. There is no loss of hair or nausea, as with some treatments. Recovery time is usually a few days with no need for convalescence or rehabilitation.

Unlike invasive surgery, it can be used repeatedly over time if new brain tumors occur – which would be very risky with open skull surgery. And because it’s noninvasive, Gamma Knife surgery can be used to treat metastases in surgically inoperable tumors.

Less than 10,000 patients have been treated for brain disorders using CyberKnife in the past 10 years, compared to 500,000 patients with Gamma Knife surgery. Why is that? When most doctors are asked what they would choose for their family members, they choose Gamma Knife because they trust the clinical evidence (2,000 published papers) and know that it works.

Explore Gamma Knife Surgery

Not everyone is a candidate for Gamma Knife surgery. Plus not all doctors have been trained in its use, so they may be reluctant to recommend it to patients.

Patients are sometimes hesitant to question their doctor’s choice of treatment, but it’s your brain, your health, your life – therefore it’s your right to look at options. Be sure to consider gentle, noninvasive Gamma Knife surgery.