Posts Tagged ‘Brain Metastases’
Elekta offers the world’s most complete portfolio of stereotactic treatment solutions for the treatment of cancer and diseases of the brain, spine and body. The resulting systems’ design and performance reflect decades of leadership and innovation.
Our radiation oncology and neurosurgery customers face the constant cost-benefit challenge of wanting to adopt the most advanced treatment protocols within the constraints of the resources available. Elekta Axesse™ has been specifically developed to help meet this challenge, to bring the highest treatment quality to the maximum number of patients.
Resource management benefits
Caseload versatility • Workflow efficiency • Patient throughput
Treatment quality benefits
Patient safety • Targeting accuracy • Dose escalation • Hypofractionation
A wide range of stereotactic and intensity modulated treatments
Lung • Liver • Prostate • Head-and-neck • Spinal metastases • Large brain metastases
WESTPORT, Sep 04 (Reuters Health) – Stereotactic radiosurgery slows progression and improves survival in some patients with metastatic disease to the brain, according to a report in the August issue of Neurosurgery.
Although chemotherapy helps few patients with intracerebral metastases, external beam radiotherapy, radiosurgical ablation, and surgical removal of metastases have demonstrated some effectiveness, the authors explain.
Dr. Joseph C. T. Chen, of the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, and colleagues reviewed their series of 190 patients who underwent gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery for intracerebral metastatic tumors.
Median survival after radiosurgery was 34 weeks, the authors report, but survival was better among non-melanoma patients (39 weeks) than among melanoma patients (28 weeks). These survival figures are similar to those reported in open surgical series.
Median survival was significantly longer in patients with controlled disease (more than 50 weeks) than with active disease (28 weeks), the investigators note, and in patients with posterior fossa metastases (40.5 weeks) rather than supratentorial lesions (30.3 weeks).
Most metastases followed during the study were controlled for the lifetime of the patient, the report indicates, with only 6% showing late progression and only 6% progressing despite therapy.
“In the absence of clear data demonstrating the advantage of one modality over the other with respect to overall survival,” the authors conclude, “the choice between surgery and radiosurgery must be made on the basis of time, cost, patient acceptance and the availability of the procedure.”
“Radiosurgery should not be considered as a panacea or a miracle treatment,” Dr. Chen told Reuters Health.. “It simply is a less invasive, better tolerated, and safer alternative to open surgical intervention and whole brain irradiation for most, but not all patients with metastatic disease to the brain.”
He added, “We must recognize that just because we are trained as neurosurgeons to use a knife, this may not be the best treatment for all patients. Neurosurgeons must change the nature of their practice to be able to use radiosurgical methods in the treatment of their patients.”
To read the entire article – Visit Oncolink.com
For more information on Brain Metastases, click the link below to process to www.livingwithbrainmets.org – Living With Brain Mets
Where Brain Metastases Occur
A brain tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue in which cells grow and multiply uncontrollably. Primary brain tumors originate in the brain and rarely spread to other parts of the body.
Metastatic (or secondary) brain tumors come from cancer cells in another part of the body and develop as a tumor in the brain. The site where the cancerous cells originated is referred to as the primary cancer.
The diseased cells spread to the brain by moving through the bloodstream and continue growing in their new location. This spread of a tumor to a new part of the body is called metastasis, and the primary cancer is said to have metastasized.
There has been an increase in metastatic brain tumors, as people are surviving primary cancers for longer periods of time.
Roll over areas of the brain to see risk of metastases.
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Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, Elekta’s new system for stereotactic radiosurgery, has been used for the first time to treat patients at the Jiro Suzuki Memorial Gamma House, Furukawa Seiryo Hospital, in Miyagi, Japan.
The 100-bed hospital has a strong neurosurgery program, and is the first in Japan to offer treatment with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion , an advanced radiosurgery treatment system for intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery or Gamma Knife® surgery.
“We are pleased to be able to offer our patients the benefits of treatment with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion,” says Dr. Hidefumi Jokura, Vice President of Furukawa Seiryo and director of the hospital’s Gamma Knife Center. “The sophistication of the technology is allowing us to treat more patients in less time. And importantly, both staff and patients appreciate the greater efficiency of the design, which results in reduced hospital visitation for the patient.”
Dr. Hidefumi Jokura and his colleague, Dr. Kawagishi, reported that they treated 107 cases, 60% of them were brain metastases , during the two first months. “With Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, we now have the capability to treat 3-4 patients in just half a day – a process that normally would have taken a full working day,” says Jokura.
Leksell Gamma Knife is in daily use in over fifty centers in Japan and Furukawa Seiryo hospital currently utilizes Gamma Knife surgery to treat around 500 patients each year.
“With Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, we are further realizing our ambition of offering effective treatments for a wide range of neurological challenges; and are achieving this with a greater degree of positive outcomes and shorter patient treatment times than before,” says Hideo Watanabe, Managing Director, Elekta Japan.
Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion
- Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion Advanced Program for Stereotactic Radiosurgery September 8, 2015Objective To further enhance the participant’s knowledge of Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion and its advanced applications in the field of stereotactic radiosurgery. Specific focus will be placed on Gamma Knife surgery with or without the Extend System for several different indications. Patient selection, radiosurgical techniques and complication avoidance as […]
- Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion - Upgrade Program December 10, 2013Objective To receive aspects of clinical and technical training for handling new features of Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, when upgrading from previous models. Training on the dynamic workflow of Leksell GammaPlan includes instruction on using the pre-planning and follow-up features of the program as well as on developing treatment plans using composite sho […]
- Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion - Introductory Program December 8, 2013Objective To identify the basic principles and biophysics of Gamma Knife surgery and how they apply to day-to-day patient treatment. Review the clinical indications, parameters of treatment and outcomes of Gamma Knife surgery. Recognize radiation safety issues and principles, as well as become familiar with emergency procedures that pertain to Leksell Gamma […]
- Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion - Applications Introductory Program November 17, 2013Objective To make users confident in the operation, care and maintenance of Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion. The course focuses on radiation physics, dosimetry, stereotaxy for Gamma Knife surgery, quality assurance (QA), technical information and treatment planning using Leksell GammaPlan®. Content ■ Principles of stereotaxy and radiosurgery ■ Prin […]
- Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion / 4C - Introductory Program November 10, 2013Objective To obtain knowledge about the practical aspects of stereotactic radiosurgery using Leksell Gamma Knife. Principles of radiation physics and radiobiology, that apply to single-session, focused, small volume irradiation will be covered. Registrants should be able to create radiosurgery dose plans for various indications. Content ■ Principles a […]
- Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion Clinical Introductory Program October 6, 2013Objective To introduce clinicians to Gamma Knife® surgery with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion and Extend™ System. The course focuses on clinical information, combined with hands-on sessions using Leksell GammaPlan®. Experts with years of experience from Gamma Knife surgery are selected to lecture on this course. Training center and duration 4-day course at Un […]
- XiO - Application December 16, 2012OBJECTIVE To provide applications training in the use of XiO for treatment planning. The course provides an understanding of the software enabling the user to efficiently create effective treatment plans using our product. COURSE CONTENT Structure Contouring Digitized Contour-based Planning 2D Irregular Field Planning 3D External Beam Planning Special Plann […]
- XiO IMRT December 9, 2012Objective To provide applications training in IMRT treatment planning utilizing the Xio Treatment Planning System. The course provides an understanding of the IMRT software enabling the user to efficiently create effective IMRT treatment plans using our product. Course Content Contouring for IMRT Planning Beam Placement IMRT Prescription Optimization Segme […]
- SRT December 9, 2012OBJECTIVE This advanced clinical training program is designed to present the processes required to implement SRT for routine treatment on Elekta Axesse™ and other Elekta linear accelerators sterotactic capabilities. COURSE CONTENT • Recognize indications for and outcomes of SRT/Radiosurgery • Understand dose selection, fractionation and planning techniqu […]
- Monaco December 9, 2012OBJECTIVE To provide applications training in advanced radiobiology-based IMRT treatment planning. The course provides an understanding of the IMRT software enabling the user to efficiently create effective IMRT treatment plans using our product. COURSE CONTENT Contouring / Image Fusion for IMRT Planning Beam Template Creation The IMRT Prescription IMRT Co […]