Gamma Knife can be a boon to brain tumour patients; medical tourism in Sri Lanka

Monday, 17 February 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The introduction of the ‘Gamma Knife,’ a new technological device, can bring a cost effective cure to hundreds of patients with brain tumours as well as boost medical tourism, according to local healthcare industry experts. They said that at present in Sri Lanka brain tumours are treated with surgery and often costly. However the ‘Gamma Knife,’ which is a stereotactic radiosurgical device that treats non-invasively malignant and benign tumours in a single patient visit, can be the cost effective answer for Sri Lanka. Experts said that those knowledgeable about the Gamma Knife process travel to Singapore or India, which are the only two Asian countries which have this technology for treatment.

“If a Sri Lankan hospital can bring this device down which is estimated to cost around $ 3.8 million only, local patients with brain tumours of up to four centimetres can be treated in a cost effective manner. The country will also save valuable foreign exchange, preventing people going to India or Singapore for similar treatment,” experts pointed out. “By introducing it in Sri Lanka, the country can also strengthen its prospects as a destination for medical tourism,” they added. Locally, the traditional neurosurgery costs over Rs. 1.5 million whereas it is half the cost in India and Singapore. Utilising advanced diagnostic imaging and three-dimensional treatment planning software, the Gamma Knife delivers 192 precisely focused beams of gamma radiation to small targets inside the brain. Radiation is only delivered at a single, finely focused point where all 192 beams converge to treat the diseased tissue, while nearby healthy tissue is spared. According to medical sources, Gamma Knife treatment has many benefits. It is bloodless, virtually painless, does not result in hair loss and has a rapid return to pre-treatment activities. Gamma Knife treatment also has excellent, well-documented clinical outcomes for a variety of brain diseases and disorders. There are also several benefits of having Gamma Knife radiosurgery verses other forms of radiation or surgery. The benefits of Gamma Knife Perfexion treatment differs from conventional radiation therapy of the brain because it is only directed to targeted areas and spares unnecessary treatment of adjacent, normal brain tissue. Only a one-day treatment is required rather than many treatments over several weeks, and the treatment often can be repeated if necessary. Gamma Knife treatment can also replace brain surgery in some patients with brain tumors, vascular malformations and facial pain. An individual who would be at risk for complications from conventional surgery may be a candidate for Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Gamma Knife treatment can be used when prior surgery or radiation therapy has failed to control the disease process. It can also be used in conjunction with conventional surgery in previously inoperable cases, other forms of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. During the actual procedure, the patient does not see or feel the radiation during treatment and the patient remains conscious throughout the entire procedure, and may communicate with the treatment team. Cost studies have shown Gamma Knife radiosurgery to be less expensive than conventional neurosurgery because it eliminates lengthy post-surgical hospital stays, expensive medication and potentially months of rehabilitation. Importantly, there are virtually no post-surgical disability and convalescent costs with this procedure.