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Ongoing Research
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Patients will benefit from the research currently under way on possible new and improved uses of the Gamma Knife. Currently, the exact amount of radiation used to treat a specific patient is based on the experience of many programs. Research is under way at the Indiana University School of Medicine and other centers to more formally address the issues related to determining appropriate dosages using mathematical and statistical models coupled with measured radiobiological data. Researchers also are involved with the study of medications called radiosensitizers that hold the promise of making the treatments more effective without adding side effects. Scientists at IU are studying the relationship between radiosurgery treatment for hormone-secreting pituitary tumors and subsequent hormone production to ultimately find the best way to control these tumors and restore the proper hormonally related metabolic balance. In addition, they will also use the prototype of the Gamma Knife's first relocatable frame to develop a protocol for multiple treatments without the rigid fixation of the frame to the patient's skull. The benefits of stereotactic radiosurgery using the Gamma Knife for patients with brain disorders have been well documented. IU researchers have been pioneers in the translation of this technology for treatment elsewhere in the body and are among only a few groups of researchers nationwide engaged in developing the capability to perform radiosurgery treatments outside of the brain using the stereotactic body frame. [Keywords: research, gamma knife] |
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