Treatment

In contrast to what the name suggest, there is no actual knife in the Gamma Knife. Your doctor makes no incisions in your head. Instead 192 precisely focused beams of radiation are directed at your brain lesion. It is called Gamma Knife surgery but is also known as Radiosurgery, or Stereotactical Radiation Therapy. This sergery is often termed invasive surgery to distinguish it from noninvasive radiosurgery or radiation therapy described below.

Radiation therapy attempts to destroy tumor cells by using high-energy radiation focused onto the tumor to destroy the tumors cell ability to function and replicate. Tadiosurgery is a nonsurgical procedure that delivers a single high dose of precisely targeted radiation using highly focused gamma-ray or X-ray beams that converge on the specific area or areas of the brain where the tumor or the other ebnormality is located, minimizing the amount of radiation to healthy brain tissue. Equipment used to do radiosurgery varies in its radiation source' a gamma knife uses focused gamma rays, and aliniear accelerator uses photons, while heavycharged particle radiosurgery uses a proton beam.

Chemotherapy attemps to destroy tumor cells using shemicals (drugs )  that are designed to destroy specific types of cancer cells. There are many chemical agents used; specific drug therapies are numerous, and each regimen is usually dasigned fot yhe specific type of brain cancer and individualized for each patient. For example, bevacizumab (avastin ) is a drug approved for treatment of glioblastomas. Chemotherapy can be administered intrathecally (by a surgically placed permanent reservoir in the brain), by lumbar puncure, by IV administration  and biodegredable chemically impregnated polymers. All treatment attempt to spare normal brain cells.

Other treatment options may include hyperthemia (heat treatments), immunotherapy (immune cells direcdted to kill certain cancer cell types), or steroids to reduce inflammation and brain swelling. These may be added on to the other treatment plans.

clinical trials (treatment plans designed by scientetists and physicians to try new chemicals or treatmemnt methods on patients) can be another way for patients to obtain treatment specifically for their cancer cell type. Clinical trials are part of the research efforts to produce better treatments fo al;l desease types. Stem cell treatments for brain and brain stem cancers and other conditions may be available, because research with patients is ongoing using these potential therapies. The best treatment for brain cancer is designed by the team of cancer specialists in conjunction with the shises of patients.

The treaetments can be simple outpatients procedure, but a patients is usually advised to stay in hospital ivernight. A typical treatment for an Acoustic Neuroma takes about three hours. The recovery time is very short and you can usually go back to your normal lifestyle in two to three days. You do not fell any pain during the treatment, and you are no requeired to shave or cut your hair.