Gamma Knife Technology Pioneers West Yorkshires Battle Against Cancer
Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
by Ronald Gilden
Healthcare Technologies International (HTI)
In the past it seemed that the only way to treat a brain tumour was through sometimes life-threatening invasive surgery often taking months to recover, but now thanks to new technology brought to you by Nova Healthcare, patients can be treated in one day, resuming normal life in less than 24 hours.
The procedure - first pioneered by Swedish neurosurgeon, Lars Leskell - uses a highly concentrated dose of radiotherapy, involving a series of gamma rays targeted at the area that needs to be treated, minimising the damage to any healthy areas of tissue.
The first patient to be treated with this procedure in West Yorkshire was 65 year old retired insurance broker John Langford, who was treated for a benign brain tumour using the 3million Perfexion Gamma Knife machine. Manufactured by Elekta, the machine revolutionises the treatment of a variety of different brain conditions such as cancers, by using gamma rays to target and destroy any abnormalities using pinpoint accuracy, without the need for open surgery.
This revolutionary new treatment has been brought to West Yorkshire for the first time thanks to the partnership between Nova Healthcare and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Private and NHS patients across the region, who may travel as far afield as Manchester and Newcastle to benefit from the procedure, in most cases will be seen within a week of being referred to Nova. Nova Healthcare runs a newly-opened unit within the flagship 250m Bexley Wing at St James's University Hospital in Leeds , which serves a catchment area of more than 2.6 million people.
Nova Healthcare Chief Executive, Kerry Jackson, said the technology was able to deliver a highly-targeted single dose of radiation during an outpatient visit. "The gamma knife adds an exciting new dimension to the array of medical technology available to treat patients across West Yorkshire and beyond who have been diagnosed with various brain diseases.
"Our Elekta Perfexion Gamma Knife is the most advanced available in the world and we are delighted that we are working alongside the NHS to propel West Yorkshire into this new era of technology. It is a major step forward for patient care."
Despite its name, the Gamma Knife does not resemble a knife it is an instrument using 192 beams of gamma radiation to target abnormalities in a unique method of treatment. The result is a pinpoint of radiation so small and powerful it is able to reach the specific part of the brain that needs treatment, such as tumours, without destroying healthy surrounding tissue. In most cases, patients receive a single treatment.
The treatment requires no surgical incision, so the risks of open brain surgery such as haemorrhage or infection - are reduced or avoided all together. An alternative to this type of treatment would be whole brain radiotherapy, but thanks to the accuracy of the treatment it is able to treat patients with far greater precision than any other alternative. Its simplicity means that in most cases, patients are able to go home the same day without any major scarring or any hair loss and, in John's case, are back at their gym or golf course when previously they would still have been in intensive care had they undergone open brain surgery.
Prior to his treatment, John had been suffering from deteriorating hearing for five years and a recent scan found the cause was a growing benign tumour. Without the new Gamma Knife in Leeds, patients would face either open surgery, whole brain radiotherapy, or wait for the procedure at the only other Gamma Knife in the North of England, at Sheffield .
To prepare for his procedure known as radiosurgery - John was placed in a lightweight head frame to prevent his head from moving during treatment, thereby ensuring that the beams of radiation are targeted at precisely the right area. Doctors injected local anaesthetic into his scalp in four places - or pin sites' - where the frame was attached. Taking just 30 minutes, John laid on the Gamma Knife while Leeds neurosurgeon Stuart Ross who travelled to Stockholm and Marseilles to receive expert training in the procedure worked with radiographers in an adjoining room, speaking to him throughout. The ease of the procedure is highlighted by patients being encouraged to bring their i-Pod along as entertainment.
John said after the procedure: "It was a fantastic experience and I feel absolutely fine. To be the first patient to be treated by Gamma Knife technology in West Yorkshire was exciting, and I wish future patients every success they have nothing to fear and much to gain from it.
"I had a bet before going into hospital that I would be back at my gym the day afterwards as nobody believed I would be fit and well enough to do so. But I was and it was great to go there and pick up my winnings! I also managed to squeeze in a few holes of golf as well."
The Gamma Knife procedure is most successful when treating benign or malignant tumours, but consideration for the treatment is dependent upon the patient's medical history, diagnosis and the severity of the condition. The risks to this type of surgery are very small, much notably smaller than the risks associated with open brain surgery, making this treatment a well received procedure both by patients and the medical world alike.
For more information on the Gamma Knife procedure visit the Nova Healthcare website at www.novahealthcare.co.uk.
This Article has been viewed 942 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.