Stereotactic Gamma Ray Surgery For Benign Intracranial Tumors

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Stereotactic gamma ray surgery is used to treat benign (not cancer) intracranial tumors. Your brain is made up of neurons which transmit and receive nerve signals, and glial cells which keep neurons alive. Benign intracranial tumors are lumps of cells that can grow anywhere in your head. Benign tumor cells do not spread out from your head to other areas of your body. Tumors such as craniopharyngiomas and meningiomas can grow big, and damage tissues, blood vessels, and nerves around them. This can cause headaches, seizures (convulsions), problems with how you think, and trouble remembering things. You may also have trouble hearing, seeing, or feeling and moving some parts of your body. Gamma ray surgery can stop your tumors from growing bigger and damaging tissues around them.
  
  
• During stereotaxy, pictures of your brain are taken using special scans. During gamma ray surgery, x-ray beams cross at a single point to kill the tumor cells. Normal tissues near the tumor get little or no radiation. A head frame may be used to keep your head very still to help focus the beams. Benign brain tumors often need only one treatment session. With this treatment, your tumors may get smaller or go away, which may also make your signs and symptoms go away.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your caregivers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

RISKS:

• Radiation kills tumor cells but can also damage other normal cells in your head. Your brain, eyes, blood vessels, or nerves may get damaged while having gamma ray surgery. You may have headaches, nausea (upset stomach), vomiting (throwing up), seizures, or problems seeing. You may have trouble remembering things. Areas that make hormones may get damaged, and you may need medicines to replace these hormones. There is also a chance that your tumor may come back or may not be completely removed. In some cases, a new tumor may grow after this treatment.
  
  
• You may get a blood clot in your leg or arm. This can cause pain and swelling, and it can stop blood from flowing where it needs to go in your body. The blood clot can break loose and travel to your lungs. A blood clot in your lungs can cause chest pain and trouble breathing. This problem can be life-threatening.
  
  
• Without treatment, benign intracranial tumors may grow bigger and damage other tissues around them. The blood or nerve supply to nearby structures may be cut off. If this happens, you may have problems seeing, moving, speaking, breathing, or thinking clearly. This may lead to other serious medical problems, such as blindness, seizures, or stroke. Ask your caregiver if you are worried or have questions about your treatment, medicine, or care.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE:

Before your treatment:

• Informed consent: A consent form is a legal document that explains the tests, treatments, or procedures that you may need. Informed consent means you understand what will be done and can make decisions about what you want. You give your permission when you sign the consent form. You can have someone sign this form for you if you are not able to sign it. You have the right to understand your medical care in words you know. Before you sign the consent form, understand the risks and benefits of what will be done. Make sure all your questions are answered.
  
  
• Vital signs: Caregivers will check your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature. They will also ask about your pain. These vital signs give caregivers information about your current health.

During your treatment:

• You may be asked to change into a hospital gown. You are taken to the treatment room and placed on a special table that can be moved to different positions. Shields to block radiation from going to other parts of your body may be put over you. A head frame may be used to hold your head very still during the treatment. You may get medicine to numb the area where the frame will be placed, and the frame may be secured with pins. Your head frame is attached to a computer which helps point the gamma ray machine at your tumor.
  
  
• The special bed or couch you are lying on is moved inside the treatment hood, and MRI or CT scans are used to help point the beams directly at your tumor. Your caregiver sets the shape of the beams, and how much radiation your tumor will get. Lie still and relax during the treatment. The treatment should not be painful, and you may not feel any different during it. Caregivers turn on the machine, and the beams pass through your skull and brain, and reach your tumor. After the treatment, your bed is moved out of the hood, and the head frame and helmet are removed.

After your treatment:

You may be taken to a room where caregivers can watch you closely for problems. Do not try to get out of bed until your caregiver says it is OK. Later, you may be able to go home, or you will be taken to your hospital room.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.