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Conditions We Treat
Treating the Brain Without Surgery
Feeling Good AgainJannie Pearson, R.N., certified nurse practitioner (above, left), was happy to find a local alternative to brain surgery. Radiation oncologist Clinton Leinweber, D.O. (above and right), is part of the team that offers the area’s only hospital-based Gamma Knife program at Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg. Expanded Cancer Center Gamma Knife® is just part of the expansion of the Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg. This fall, you’ll also find: - A second high-energy linear accelerator that provides the most powerful beams of radiation on the East Coast. She didn’t have to. Last year, when the tumor had grown and caused tingling in her left jaw and chin, doctors told Pearson about a new treatment option. The Gamma Knife® could reduce the size of the tumor without surgery. Pearson prepared to travel to Virginia or Pittsburgh for the procedure—until she heard it was coming to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg. The Gamma Knife is so powerful and precise that it requires only one treatment. It sends hundreds of precisely targeted beams of gamma radiation to an exact location in the brain. Alone, each beam is too weak to harm the healthy part of the brain, but when they converge on the tumor or other brain abnormality, they’re strong enough to treat it. After 22 minutes of radiation, Pearson was in the recovery room, with no incisions, no anesthesia and minimal discomfort. The next morning, she went home, and a recent MRI detected no increase in the tumor’s size. “When I wake up in the morning, I know it’s going to be a good day,” Pearson says. “Gamma Knife was a great option for me.”
Want to Know More about cancer care at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network? Call 610-402-CARE. This page last updated 6/3/08 04:22 PM
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