Study Comparing Radiation Therapy and Surgery for Acoustic Neuroma Patients Urged

Study Comparing Radiation Therapy and Surgery for Acoustic Neuroma Patients Urged

(PRWEB) April 30, 2005

Last month, singer John Michael Montgomery was criticized for appearing drunk and singing the National Anthem off key at a motor speedway race in Atlanta. In response, he announced to the world via his web web site that he was suffering from an acoustic neuroma. Montgomery reported loss of hearing in his appropriate ear and trouble with his balance.

Now, Dr. Bradley Hennenfent, founder of the Acoustic Neuroma Foundation, is urging medical doctors and researchers to undertake a study that compares the effectiveness of radiation therapy versus surgery for treating patients with acoustic neuroma.

“Perhaps the most essential question for the acoustic neuroma patient with a small (much less than 2 cm) tumor is no matter whether to treat the tumor with Gamma Knife radiation therapy or surgery,” says Dr. Hennenfent on the Acoustic Neuroma Foundation website, http://www.AcousticNeuromaFoundation.Org. “Patients require to know which is the very best treatment with the certainty that only a randomized controlled trial can supply.”

An acoustic neuroma is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor found around the auditory (hearing) nerve in the head. Acoustic neuromas occur in 1 out of 100,000 folks and they are 1 of the most typical sorts of brain tumor.

Dr. Hennenfent said a comparative study is essential taking into consideration that the risks of surgery often far outweigh those of radiation. Post-surgery troubles might contain death, damage or paralysis of the facial nerve, partial or total loss of hearing, ringing in the ear, infection, and bleeding. Dry eye, resulting in scarring of the cornea, and loss of vision might happen. And, with surgery there is a lengthy recovery period. Dr. Hennenfent reports that surgery normally involves a period of weakness and unsteadiness caused initially by anesthesia and then by the surgical removal of the balance nerve, which is cut while removing the tumor. Radiation has relatively couple of post-treatment problems by comparison. In reality, several patients are able to return to work inside days.

Acoustic neuromas are frequently misdiagnosed. Some of the symptoms that can be caused by an acoustic neuroma consist of: hearing loss, ringing in the ear, discomfort or pressure in the ear, a feeling of something clogging the ear, headache, dizziness, trouble with balance, facial weakness, facial discomfort, eyelid twitching, facial numbness or tingling.

Besides working for the Acoustic Neuroma Foundation (http://www.AcousticNeuromaFoundation.org), Dr. Hennenfent is also a leading prostate wellness activist. He is the author of the new book, “Surviving Prostate Cancer Without Surgery,” as nicely as “The Prostatitis Syndromes.” He began the internet site http://www.SurvivingProstateCancerWithoutSurgery.org, co-founded the Prostatitis Foundation (http://www.Prostatitis.org) and founded the Epididymitis Foundation (http://www.EpididymitisFoundation.org).

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The Gamma Knife Procedure

Post by Groshan Fabiola

Gamma knife surgery is a revolutionary and efficient treatment for brain tumors. The treatment is minimally invasive, making use of a extremely concentrated dose of gamma radiation, focused on the brain tumor, to destroy diseased tissue. The dose of gamma radiation is so nicely-focused and precise that it leaves no harm to brain tissue that surrounds the tumor. Common for ailments like acoustic neuroma, radiosurgery, like the gamma knife process, is an entirely painless process.

The Treatment

The protocol for gamma knife surgery consists of four easy steps.

Head frame fitting - The patient is first fitted with a head frame, which prevents any excess movement. This maximizes the accuracy in targeting the lesion. The frame is applied to the patient's head with four pins, which require some local anesthetic.

Imaging - As soon as the head frame is securely in place, the patient receives an imaging study, either by means of an MRI, CT scan, or angiography. This helps in precisely locating the tumor.

Planning - With the imaging study, medical staff uses software to determine the appropriate treatment plan. This process can take an hour or two depending on the affected location. At this time, the patient can rest.

Treating - As soon as the medical staff has worked out an suitable treatment strategy, the patient is placed comfortably on the gamma knife couch, which moves automatically into the gamma knife machine. The treatment takes about fifteen minutes to an hour, in the course of which time the patient is no cost to sleep or relax. There is no pain, and the patient will essentially feel absolutely nothing during the whole procedure.

Patients can leave the treatment center inside the identical day, and results from the procedure are steady, appearing over the course of days, weeks, or months depending upon the severity and location of the lesion. Lesions gradually dissolve or basically quit growing altogether, permitting for recovery or further treatment.

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For much more resources about gamma knife surgery or about treatment for brain tumors or even about acoustic neuroma radiosurgery, please review these links.