In its continued effort to expand cancer care for the region, The Hospitals of Providence Cancer Program is now the first in El Paso to offer upgraded Gamma Knife technology to better treat patients with brain tumors.
This cutting-edge, $2 million-dollar system available at The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus, will completely replace the previous Gamma Knife unit and expands the range of treatment options, in addition to providing a more comfortable experience for patients.
The Gamma Knife is a state-of-the-art treatment method for lesions in the brain, which uses a noninvasive surgical technique called stereotaxic radiosurgery. The upgraded Gamma Knife Icon enables new methods of immobilization including the option to fractionate treatments in order to divide into smaller doses, allowing for exceptional accuracy and precision of the most complex and critically located targets of the brain.
“With this new Gamma Knife system virtually every square millimeter of the brain is accessible and we are able to treat the patient in a timelier, more effective way,” said Dr. Anuradha Gupta, Radiation Oncologist. “No matter how irregular the shape of the tumor, just the affected area will receive the gamma rays, providing better patient outcomes.”
The Hospitals of Providence has offered Gamma Knife services since 1994, and began treating patients with the new system earlier this month. In addition to increased precision, patients will also experience an increased level of comfort with a frameless mask approach during treatment, versus prior treatments that required frames be affixed to a patient’s head for treatment.
“We are excited to be the first in El Paso to offer this upgraded technology that provides a powerful tool for treating brain cancer more effectively and in a reduced amount of time,” said Erik Cazares, Chief Executive Officer for The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus. “We are committed to improving cancer care for our region and this is just another step we are taking to ensure our patients have the care they need close to home.”
