Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
Definition
Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a non-invasive medical procedure that utilizes highly focused gamma rays to treat various brain conditions, such as tumors, vascular malformations, and functional disorders. It is a precise and targeted form of radiation therapy that minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
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- Head and Neck Cancers
Radiation Therapy With Cisplatin, Docetaxel, or Cetuximab After Surgery in Treating Patients With Stage III-IV Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancer
- Ages18 years and older
- GenderBoth
- Head and Neck Cancers
Phase II Randomized Trial of Adjuvant Radiotherapy With or Without Cisplatin for p53 Mutated, Surgically Resected Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (SCCHN)
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Gamma Knife Center
The Yale Gamma Knife Center is the only stereotactic radiosurgery unit in Connecticut dedicated to treating head and neck conditions. Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a type of focused radiation therapy used to treat certain types of tumors or abnormalities in the brain, its covering, and nerves and blood vessels. It is an effective, noninvasive alternative to brain surgery. Gamma Knife offers similar precision to open surgery with general anesthesia but with fewer risks and discomfort.Gamma Knife radiosurgery requires no incision and is done under local anesthesia.It is a one-day outpatient procedure and rarely requires hospitalization. Most patients return to their normal activities within 24 hours of the procedure. The experts in our Gamma Knife Center have more than 30 years of combined experience in radiosurgery. Our team works together to deliver a strong dose of precisely focused radiation. Gamma Knife can be used for both children and adults who meet the criteria for treatment with this advanced technology. Conditions we treat include: Brain metastases, most commonly from lung cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, colon cancer, renal cell cancer, and gynecological and genitourinary cancers Benign brain tumors such as meningiomas, acoustic neuromas (i.e., vestibular schwannomas), and pituitary adenomas Arteriovenous malformations Trigeminal neuralgia Intraocular melanoma Head and neck cancers, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma Recurrent malignant primary brain tumors Glomus jugulare tumors Essential tremor (thalamotomy with Gamma Knife)Central Nervous System Radiotherapy
We use radiation therapy to treat central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and to prevent or significantly delay their recurrence. CNS tumors include both low- and high-grade gliomas, meningiomas, ependymomas, germ cell tumors, and pituitary adenomas. All of our patients, both adult and pediatric, receive individualized consultations from a radiation oncologist. Our multidisciplinary team then employs a variety of state-of-the-art technologies to pinpoint, plan, and precisely deliver radiation therapy, based on each patient’s needs. We also work in collaboration with Yale Cancer Center’s Brain Tumor Program. Our Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Gamma Knife programat the YaleGamma Knife Center is the only radiosurgery unit in Connecticut dedicated to the treatment of head and neck conditions.A technique discovered more than 50 years ago, stereotactic radiosurgery remains the most accurate way to use radiation to destroy tumors in and around the brain. In our Spine Radiosurgery Program, our goal is to provide long-lasting control of pain and local disease for patients with spinal metastases. We treat patients using radiotherapy, a noninvasive, painless technique that delivers high doses of radiation to destroy tumors within or near the spine.Spine Radiosurgery
Spine radiosurgery is a noninvasive, painless technique that precisely targets high doses of radiation at tumors within or near the spine.Our goal is to provide long-lasting control of pain and local disease for patients with spinal metastases. Our team consists of radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroradiologists who work together to determine and deliver the optimal treatment plan for each patient.