How is the Gamma Knife different from radiation therapy?
In a sentence, Gamma Knife is more accurate and takes less time to deliver than traditional radiation therapy. Traditional radiation therapy often breaks up (fractionates) delivery of radiation. This is done because cancer cells differ from healthy cells, recovering more slowly from radiation exposure and, due to differing mitotic (cell division and growth cycles) activity, are susceptible to cellular destruction. Fractions of the ‘killing dose’ are delivered to the target and while the healthy tissue recovers more quickly than cancer tissue, the diseased tissue then is ultimately destroyed. Fractions are often delivered with daily doses on weekdays over a period of 1 to 8 weeks, depending on the disease. Gamma Knife surgery is different from conventional radiation therapy of the brain because the radiation is precisely directed at the target and spares the surrounding normal brain tissue and other structures. Because of this, the ‘killing dose’ can be delivered to just the targeted tu
