For Immediate Release
May 6, 2009

BUFFALO, NY – Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is the first center in New York State to install the newly designed Gamma Knife Perfexion. This cutting-edge radiosurgery technology will reduce treatment times and provide more comfort to patients being treated for brain disorders.  

The Roswell Park Gamma Knife Center is one of the nation’s top five programs, treating more than 300 patients a year. “For the past decade I have been actively involved in the design, development and refinement of the software and hardware associated with this technology,” said Dheerendra Prasad, MD, MCH, Director of the Gamma Knife Program at RPCI. “This latest version of the Gamma Knife incorporates features for added safety and accuracy and sets a new standard of quality in the field of radiosurgery.”  

Gamma Knife Perfexion allows physicians to treat both benign and malignant brain tumors as well as lesions in the head and neck and cervical spine. The Gamma Knife also can be used to treat other conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and abnormal blood vessels in the brain.  

Gamma Knife surgery is a noninvasive, outpatient treatment that does not require general anesthesia. It targets tumors by hitting them all at once with 192 intersecting gamma ray beams. The precision of radiation delivery protects normal tissue near the tumor site, and for some kinds of tumors, makes the treatment more effective than standard radiation therapy.  

Because Gamma Knife radiosurgery does not involve opening the skull, it eliminates the risk of infection and bleeding that can take place during conventional surgery. It is therefore an attractive option for patients who have other complicating medical conditions that would make them ineligible for surgery.  

The new model – Perfexion - uses a computer-controlled table to move patients into treatment position, and a larger, fully automated helmet collimator system. These advances provide more comfort to patients and eliminate the need for time-consuming adjustments when treating multiple lesions, thereby reducing treatment times.  

Prasad adds, “This technology gives another treatment option to patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers, enabling them to avoid a major surgery, and in other cases to receive radiation a second time after having a prior therapy.” The newest Gamma Knife installation was purchased in collaboration with fundraising support from donors across Western New York. Donations also will support a lectureship to bring international leaders in the field together to share best practices. Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center. The Institute was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@roswellpark.org.  

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