When you have one of the most accurate machines in the world – and the only one in South Dakota – you find the best ways to use it. Avera Cancer Institute’s radiosurgery technology, the Gamma Knife Icon, is often used to treat malignant brain tumors, yet it also helps patients with other conditions.
“It can treat much more than cancer,” said Sarah Peterson, Assistant Vice President of Radiation Oncology, Avera Cancer Institute. “Like any emerging technology, we’re learning just how much it can do.”
Avera opened its Gamma Knife suite in 2016. In 2021, they updated the technology to Gamma Knife Icon. The device brings array of almost 200 beams of gamma radiation to pinpoint locations in the patient’s brain, without invasive procedures.
Open surgery of the brain may have been the only option for many patients. Now there are alternatives.
“We can do more for more patients, and offer safer, less-invasive approaches,” said radiation oncologist Joel Grow, MD, Avera Medical Group Radiation Oncology in Sioux Falls. “It’s something we can use to address cancer and more.”
Open surgeries include risks that Gamma Knife does not. It gives Avera caregivers and cancer professionals another tool. “It’s considered the world’s gold standard for brain radiosurgery,” Grow added. “We can tailor treatments to best fit each patient. It’s a versatile technology.”
Avera Cancer Institute physicians, as well as medical physicists and other experts, have found ways to improve the life of patients who face conditions such as:
- Trigeminal neuralgia, a nerve-related condition that causes intense pain in the face
- Acoustic neuroma, a hearing problem that usually stems from non-cancerous tumors in the brain
- Blood vessel lesions, such as arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is when groups of blood vessels become tangled and disrupt blood flow
- Other benign tumors in the brain/above the neck
Before the use of stereotactic radiosurgery, patients with these conditions had fewer choices for relief.
No Incisions, Yet Relief from Pain and Discomfort Through Accuracy and Skill
Gamma Knife is most often used to treat small and medium tumors. Avera experts continue to consider how this tool can create the brain cancer treatments of tomorrow.
Peterson said the teams who use Gamma Knife continue to fine-tune approaches. A key part of the procedure is to ensure the patient remains still during the application of the radiosurgery.
“We often use a head frame, which requires medication and additional inconvenience for patients,” Peterson said. A new method, using a specialized thermal-plastic mask, can hold the patient in place without the use of medication. Many patients like it because it’s less invasive.
Grow explained the head frame, still often the best choice, includes the use of numbing medicine before the head frame's pin are inserted. “The mask lets us perform multiple treatments over the course of days,” he said. “Usually, the frame is best for a single treatment. Having the means to offer both to patients means we can help more people.”
At its root, radiosurgery isn’t “surgery” at all, but a safer approach without an open surgical incision. From almost all angles, Gamma Knife procedures offer improved treatment choices. “It’s more accurate in difficult areas,” Grow added. “It has a lower radiation profile, too, so we can use Gamma Knife more often due to recurrence or regrowth.”
Finding Ways to Fight Cancer when Other Methods Are Stopped
Radiosurgery is used to fight cancer in the brain in part because our bodies have a special barrier designed to keep bad things out.
It’s called the blood-brain barrier and it can reduce the effectiveness of approaches like chemotherapy.
“A few medications can reach the brain, but our oncology team has Gamma Knife, so we can treat more types of cancer,” Peterson said. “With some tumors, radiosurgery and radiation oncology are the best – or only – methods of treatment.”
A team of elite cancer experts reviews each Avera cancer patient’s case.
A Specialized Team Using High-End Technology
Patients are usually referred for radiosurgery treatment in coordination with their neurosurgeon. In addition, the team that coordinates Gamma Knife use can include:
- Neuroradiologists
- Radiation therapists
- Registered nurses
- Medical physicists
- Dosimetrists
Some side effects can include headache or nausea, yet a patient can have the procedure as a same-day appointment. Depending on the type of treatment, often patients can drive to and from the appointment, making it more convenient.
“We can help more patients with this technology,” Peterson said.
Learn more about Avera’s cancer care across our six regional Avera Cancer Institute locations.
No matter where you live or receive care, you can call 888-422-1410 or email navigation@avera.org to reach the Avera Cancer Institute Navigation Center with your cancer-related questions or concerns.
