Stereotactic Gamma Ray Surgery For Malignant Intracranial Tumors

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Stereotactic gamma ray surgery is used to treat intracranial tumors. Your brain is made up of glial cells and neurons which transmit and receive nerve signals. Malignant intracranial tumors are lumps of cancer cells that can grow anywhere inside your head. They include tumors inside the eye, such as a uveal melanoma, and tumors in your sinuses. Cancer cells can break off from the tumor and travel through blood or lymph vessels. They can spread to other parts of your body, and grow into new tumors. Cancer cells from other parts of your body can also spread to your head and grow into a tumor. These cells may come from tumors in your lungs, skin, breast, or kidneys.
  
  
• 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. You may need one or more treatment sessions. Gamma ray surgery can stop your tumors from growing bigger, and help prevent cancer cells from spreading. With this treatment, your tumors may get smaller or go away, and relieve your symptoms such as seizures and headaches.

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 treatments. You may have headaches, nausea (upset stomach), vomiting (throwing up), seizures, or problems seeing. You may have trouble remembering things. You can have alopecia, a condition where your hair thins and falls out. If the pituitary gland in your brain is damaged, it may stop working correctly. Because of this you may need to take more medicines. There is 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.
  
  
• Without treatment, malignant 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. Cancer cells can spread and grow into new tumors in other parts of your body. 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 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. The head 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 table that you are lying on is moved inside the treatment hood. 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 discomfort. Caregivers turn on the machine, and the beams pass through your skull and brain to 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.

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