Posts Tagged ‘Radiosurgery’
Elekta Korea
The Asia Pacific region continues to demonstrate strong growth, fueling demand for healthcare services and technology in the region’s populous countries. South Korea, the world’s 15th largest economy, is among the leaders in Asia Pacific and the site of Elekta’s newest international office located in Bundang, an hour drive from the capital of South Korea, Seoul.
Elekta has a strong foothold in radiosurgery in South Korea, with an installed base of 16 Leksell Gamma Knife®. With increased local presence, Elekta expects to build on its leading position in radiosurgery and strengthen its share of the radiotherapy market, thereby making cancer care available for more people in the country.
“South Korean clinics and medical centers are addressing an increasing demand for healthcare in general, and cancer management in particular,” says Ian Alexander, Executive Vice
Ian Alexander, Executive Vice President of Elekta’s Asia Pacific Region
President of Elekta’s Asia Pacific Region. “Cancer incidences are rising in concert with the growth of the 65-years and older population, which represents nearly 10 percent of South Korea’s 49 million residents. This new office provides another much-needed channel through which our South Korean customers can satisfy their requirements for cancer care solutions.”
The Asia Pacific region as a whole is increasing its acquisition of Elekta equipment in response to a surge in cancer cases, he adds. “The countries in this region collectively account for an increasingly large percentage of Elekta’s global business.”
The South Korea office is in the process of reinforcing a strong organizational foundation. “These positions will be key in providing the best service and support to existing customers as well as reinforce the growth Elekta is experiencing in Korea,” adds Alexander. Elekta also has Asia Pacific offices in Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Australia.
Neurosurgeon John Fuller, who will be using the Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ at Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney, says it’s much faster than traditional surgery.
“Although our first patient has tumours in multiple parts of his brain, we’ll only need to do one operation lasting an hour or so,” said Dr Fuller,
“The patient will be awake through the entire procedure and will only receive a local anaesthetic. It will be possible for him to go home tonight.”
The Leksell Gamma Knife will save money as well as lives, Dr Fuller says, referring to one study which found it can free up to 700 intensive care beds a year.
Click this image to view the Australian Gamma Knife video on Ten.com.au
View a video of Dr. Fuller talking about the Leksell Gamma Knife
Read more on this Story here : http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/gamma-knife-zaps-brain-tumours-surgeons-20100803-114ei.html
or here: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/7939294/thats-not-a-knife-its-a-ray-gun
Watch Additional Videos from the 1st Australian Leksell Gamma Knife here
The Leksell Gamma Knife® Society 15th International Meeting
The Leksell Gamma Knife® Society is holding its 15th International Meeting May 16-20, 2010 in Athens, Greece. Taking place during a time of great change and progress in the field of radiosurgery, this meeting hopes to emphasize “controversy” in radiosurgery with point-counterpoint discussions including spirited debates that incorporate audience participation by electronic voting.
The scientific committee consists of current chairman, as well as past chairmen of the last two Leksell Gamma Knife Society meetings, including:
• Michael Torrens, Ch.M. FRCS., Athens, Greece
• Panos Nomikos, M.D., Athens, Greece
• Alain de Lotbinière, M.D., New York, USA
• Douglas Kondziolka, M.D., Pittsburgh, USA
• Dheerendra Prasad, M.D., Buffalo, USA
• Dong Gyu Kim, M.D., Seoul, Korea
In addition to educational seminars and lectures, the meeting will also consist of a visit to the Radiation Oncology Center at Hygeia Hospital, as well as demonstrations and discussions of Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, Elekta Axesse™ and Elekta Synergy®.
For additional details of the meeting, including how to submit an abstract, hotel accommodations and the scientific and social program, visit www.lgks2010.com.
More Patients Choose Gamma Knife® Surgery
Top neurosurgery treatment uses non-invasive radiosurgery with stereotactic frame for unmatched accuracy
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.
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.
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.
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. 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 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.
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.
Over 500,000 patients have been treated with Gamma Knife surgery. 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.
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
The three modalities in current use for the treatment of cancer are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Enough is known about the therapeutic management of cancer to be able to decide in advance, in each case, which of the three modalities to choose as the main line of treatment, either in isolation or in association with one or both of the other two modalities.
Radiotherapy
After surgery, radiotherapy is the most effective treatment in the management and cure of cancer. It plays a significantly greater role than Chemotherapy. Approximately 70% of patients who come to radiotherapy departments receive treatment with curative intent, either by radiotherapy alone or in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy. Of these, approximately 50% are cured.Those treated with palliative intent will have had their quality of life improved by their radiotherapy. As a result of new imaging and computer technology, the outcomes for radiotherapy have steadily improved over the last 20 years. Further developments offer the prospect of up to 10% improvement in cure rates for patients having radical treatment.1
Surgery
Generally, surgery on its own can only be regarded as the treatment choice if the solitary tumor is relatively small, mobile, readily accessible and with no evidence of spread to local lymph nodes or elsewhere, so that removal of every cancer cell is assured.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the simultaneous administration of multiple drugs, which results in the summation of their destructive power on the tumor,but no similar increase in the side effects. This has made chemotherapy the treatment of choice in some leukemias, certain types of Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s Disease, as well as following removal of testicular tumor (remarkable for its sensitivity to damage by chemotherapy).
1 Einhorn, J., Frôdin, J.E. et al. (1997) Radiotherapy for Cancer, Vol. 1, Acta Oncologica, 36, suppl. 6.
Rad (radiation absorbed dose) – A measure of the amount of radiation absorbed by the body, replaced by Gray.
Radiation – A term to describe waves or particles. Types of radiation include x-rays, gamma rays and electron beams
Radiation Physicist – A specialist in the subject of radiation and responsible for the choice and performance of the equipment used. The physicist assists in deciding on the optimum method for delivery of the prescribed radiation.
Radiation therapist – A physician specially trained to treat cancer with radiation therapy machines.
Radiation therapy – The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Also known as radiotherapy. Click for more on the Radiation therapy process
Radiologist – A doctor who specializes in reading and interpreting diagnostic x-rays and other imaging techniques.
Radioresistance – A term used to describe cancer cells that do not respond well to radiation
Radiosensitivity – A term used to describe how sensitive cancer cells are to radiation.
Radiosurgery – Therapeutic radiation technique, applying a field of radiation using multiple, focused, finely collimated radiation beams with surgical precision in a single session. Click for more on the Radiosurgery process
Radiotherapy – See Radiation therapy.
Recurrence – The reappearance of a disease after a period of remission.
Remission – Complete or partial disappearance of the signs and symptoms of disease. A remission, however, is not necessarily a cure.
Leading cancer centers in Moscow and Siberia to receive Russia’s most advanced stereotactic radiotherapy system.
Two of Russia’s leading research centers, The Meshalkin Research Institute of Circulation Pathology (NRIBCP, Novosibirsk, Russia) and the Hertzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute (MORI, Moscow, Russia), have purchased Elekta Axesse™ systems which will, for the first time in Russia, allow clinicians to treat cancer tumors throughout the body with ultra-high precision while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Elekta Axesse will help us to build the one of the most advanced cancer centers in Russia,” says Professor Alexander M. Karaskov, Director of the Meshalkin Research Institute. “The system combines speed and accuracy with the ability to target tumors throughout the body.”
Elekta Axesse will be delivered with the latest technology, Elekta VMAT (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy), which enables faster treatment time and more accurate targeting of the dose. Hertzen MORI will be the first clinic in Russia to provide this technology to patients.
“The system will enable us to attain very-high precision and accuracy for every patient, in many cases sub-millimeter. This is specifically important in treatment of difficult sites such as lung or liver,” commented Professor Anna Boyko from MORI. “The advanced 3D imaging capabilities of Elekta Axesse facilitate rapid, precise targeting of tumors, and the highly-conformal radiation delivery system effectively treats tumors while minimizing damage to a patient’s healthy tissue.”
This advanced technology is delivered with MOSAIQ®, the most advanced integrated suite of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software in oncology; which enhances workflow, improves productivity and simplifies medical record accessibility throughout the department.
“Software support for efficient workflow is a key component in a treatment system and MOSAIQ, along with the entire software package supplied by Elekta, is second to none. In a clinical setting, the system manages documents, patient and user schedules and imports treatment plans into the EMR as well as verifies and records the treatment delivered, all handled from one integrated user environment. This definitely helps to streamline clinicians’ workflow, ultimately saving precious time,” says Dr. Olga Efimova, NRIBCP’s Head of Radiosurgery.
Generally, on the opinion of Professor Andrey Chernichenko, President of the Russian Association of the Therapeutic Radiation Oncologist (RATRO), “such sophisticated equipment will open new era for all Russian oncology – high precision, super effective irradiation for many ‘social important’ tumors.”
Elekta Axesse - world’s most complete portfolio of stereotactic treatment solutions for the treatment of cancer and diseases of the brain, spine and body.
- Largest Neurosurgical Center in Russia Acquires Elekta’s Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion February 6, 2012Russia’s first Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ system has found a home at the renowned N.N. Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute, just a five-minute car ride from Moscow’s Red Square. On June 2, 2011, a 59-year-old woman was the first Perfexion patient, receiving Gamma Knife® radiosurgery to treat tumor tissue that remained following open surgery. Now, eight mon […]
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