Doctors Treat Tumor in Carotid Artery Using CyberKnife

Online, February 25, 2013 (Newswire.com) - In a first of its kind procedure the Radiation Oncologists of BLK Super Speciality Hospital CyberKnife Center treated a 35 year old patient, hailing from Maharashtra, with a critical benign tumor using the next generation CyberKnife VSI (www.cyberknifedelhi.com). The tumor being located on the patient's carotid artery (which is main blood vessel that supplies blood to brain), for over 20 years, made it a complex condition to be treated, and very few doctors in India would attempt such difficult case.

The carotid artery is a critical part of the human body, and with typical patients, this tumor normally appears on either one side of the neck or the other. But in this patient, the tumor was present bilaterally in the neck region. In such a condition the tumor in the neck encircles the blood vessels (both artery and vein) of the Carotid region, which are more delicate than other muscular organs of the body.

Looking at the seriousness of the condition presented, the doctors determined the safest and greatest chance of success was to treat the patient on the CyberKnife VSI.

During the treatment the patient needed to undergo a CT scan and an MRI scan, wherein these images are placed into the CyberKnife planning system (which is a highly sophisicated software solution), and then the Doctors and Medical Physicists sketch out the radiation beam needed to penetrate the tumor without harming other critical structures in the body. During the treatment the patient lies down flat on the couch without any accessory, and the machine delivers the radiation externally. The procedure takes 40 minutes to deliver the dose of radiation, and then the treatment may continue for 3 days, which can also be extended up to 5 days if required, and then the patient returns to his normal life soon after the treatment.

Dr. Hukku, Sr. Consultant, Radiation Oncologist, BLK Cancer Center said, "This kind of tumor is non-cancerous and the patient does not experience any pain in the region where the tumor is located. These types of bilateral cases are found only among 8-10% of people affected from tumor, and it spreads only among 2% of such cases. After treatment, the patient is now stable and he is free from his life threatening disease. We are happy that he is able to carry on his daily functions painlessly without any side effects."

"CyberKnife is a very powerful and useful leading technology. A patient does not feel any pain, nor is any anesthesia administered. In these critical cases, since surgery is not an option, CyberKnife is the safest and most effective alternative. Any person having such symptoms, or indications, would be well served to consult their Doctor about possible treatment with a Cyberknife, since it is comfortable, effective, and saves the patient's time," said Dr. Shikha Haldar, Director, Radiation Oncologist, BLK Cancer Center.

The advantage of Cyberknife is that the dose of radiation delivered on the tumor is very high, while the radiation on the vein and artery is drastically low. Therefore the tumor gets treated, yet does not affect the critical structures present in the body. The degree of accuracy in CyberKnife is more percise than conventional radio therapy, and is noninvasive, so the patient can go back to his or her normal working life soon after the treatment.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dr. Neeraj Verma
011-30653910
[email protected]
www.cyberknifedelhi.com