Gamma knife radiosurgery

Barts Cancer Centre has the most up-to-date equipment in the world. This means that our specialists are able to diagnose a patient’s particular cancer faster, more accurately and treat it in the most effective way possible using equipment not available in many other hospitals.

Our gamma knife service is one of only five services available to NHS patients in the country and the only NHS service in London. This state-of-the-art technology is used to treat different types of braintumour and it works by targeting a single dose of radiation precisely on the tumour and therefore minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissue. It allows surgeons and oncologists to treat specific areas within the skull without making a single incision. As there is no open surgery the complications normally associated with an operation are eliminated, as is the need for a long recovery time.

Another advantage of gamma knife treatment is that unlike brain surgery, the patient has a local, rather than general, anaesthetic and is often well enough to go back to work the following day.

In most cases, it is effective after one single dose and can be used for many different types of lesions: benign and malignant tumours as well as vascular amd functional targets in the brain.

The treatment process starts with an MRI scan to locate the exact position of the targets(s). Patients wear a special 3D head frame which can be seen on the MRI imaging equipment, allowing doctors to map the lesion's exact position.

The frame also keeps the patient’s head completely rigid to ensure total accuracy when targeting and delivering radiation during the gamma knife treatment.

Until recently, the gamma knife treatment was only available for NHS patients through private clinics and hospitals in London. Now these patients are able to undergo their entire treatment at a single location at The London Gamma Knife Centre at Barts.

The gamma knife is highly effective with a success rate of up to 95% for certain benign tumours. It also has a better success rate than surgery for secondary tumours in the brain. The equipment is safe, accurate and reliable. Because of this accuracy, it is now possible to treat tumours previously thought to be inoperable such as those near the brainstem and optic nerves. In most cases the procedure arrests the growth of tumours which may subsequently reduce in size over a period of time.

For more information, please visit The London Gamma Knife Centre’s dedicated website at www.thelondongammaknifecentre.com/gamma_knife.php