What is Leksell Gamma Knife Icon?
It is a radiosurgery instrument used to treat malignant and nonmalignant tumors, as well as vascular and functional disorders in the brain, without harming surrounding healthy tissue.
It is a non-invasive, and involves no scalpel or incision. Instead, it uses up to 192 precisely focused beams of radiation. It is an alternative to traditional brain surgery and whole brain radiation therapy for the treatment of complex, difficult brain conditions.
The Icon can target the smallest, most complex lesions or multiple metastases with the highest accuracy and lowest dose to normal tissue.
This treatment option is designed for all head pathologies, both benign and malignant. The decision to use a Gamma Knife depends on where the tumour is located within the brain, as well as the type of tumour. For areas of the brain where standard surgical treatment is not advisable or even possible, the Gamma Knife® Icon™ is often the alternative treatment option due to its accuracy and precision.
The Gamma Knife® Icon™ may also be an alternative to radiotherapy for those with brain cancer. Unlike conventional radiation therapy, the Gamma Knife can be done in far fewer treatments.
Your radiation oncologist may suggest this radiosurgery for treatment of metastatic brain tumours and some primary brain tumours, but may also be referred by your neurologist or neurosurgeon for treatment of neurologic disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia and vascular malformations.
Which healthcare professional should you see?
An oncologist, preferably a radiation oncologist.
ABJ Inc. Oncology hosts Africa’s first Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™ machine at Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg.
Here are some radiation oncologists at ABJ Inc. Oncology:
How does medical aid pay for it?
To see how your specific medical aid plan pays for oncology benefits, please see here.
Since this is a specific treatment plan that will be motivated by your oncologist, and oncology treatments are approved on a case-by-case basis, we are unable to state how your plan will pay for this treatment.
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More information
We have detailed information on how medical aid pays for PMB oncology.
Disclaimer
The information on this page is not medical advice, and is not endorsed or approved by any medical professional or company, unless otherwise stated. Always seek medical advice from a registered healthcare professional. Always verify your medical aid or insurance benefits with your scheme or broker.
Sources:
https://www.elekta.com/patients/gammaknife-treatment-process/
https://www.oncology-sa.co.za/leksell-gamma-knife-icon-radiosurgery/
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