The Fort Sanders Regional Gamma Knife Center features the Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™, a non-invasive stereotactic radiosurgery procedure used to treat brain tumors and other neurological disorders.
Located at Thompson Cancer Survival Center, the Gamma Knife program uses the latest in diagnostic imaging and three-dimensional treatment planning software to deliver finely-focused beams of gamma radiation to small targets inside the brain. The beams converge at a point to treat the affected tissue, while minimizing the damage of healthy brain tissue.
The Gamma Knife Icon is an alternative or supplemental treatment to traditional brain surgery, eliminating some of the risks of a traditional craniotomy, such as bleeding or brain damage. Neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists work together to develop an individualized treatment plan for each patient and their disease or disorder.
Common treatments
- Metastatic Brain Tumors (single/multiple)
- Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Meningiomas
- Acoustic Neuromas
- Gliomas
- Pituitary Tumors
Candidates Treated
- Patients with brain tumors
- Patients with vascular disorders
- Patients who are not candidates for conventional neurosurgery or radiation therapy
- Additional therapy for patients who have already undergone surgery, chemotherapy or radiation and
require further treatment - Gamma Knife may also be recommended for patients with these conditions:
- Tumors or vascular malformations that are surgically inaccessible
- Risk factors that make surgery inadvisable
- Need for an additional dose of radiation following radiation therapy
- Recurrent tumors
- Facial Pain
The Gamma Knife procedure is performed in an outpatient setting with considerably shorter treatment times and minimized complications. Most patients leave the center the same day.
The Icon’s attached CT scanner provides the most accurate motion tracking during treatment as well as integrated imaging, ensuring radiation is delivered only to the affected area. While Gamma Knife treatment often can take place in a single session, the Icon accommodates multiple sessions, enabling treatment of larger tumor volumes, targets close to critical brain structures and new or recurring brain metastases.
Gamma Knife therapy may also be suggested as an adjunct to standard neurosurgical therapy or as the preferred course of treatment when further traditional therapy is not recommended.