There was cause for celebration in the Swedish Radiosurgery Center on Thursday, Dec. 16, as neurosurgeon Ronald Young, M.D., medical director of the Gamma Knife® program, and radiation oncologist Bob Meier, M.D., medical director of the CyberKnife program, treated the center’s first two Gamma Knifepatients. The center, formerly known as the Seattle CyberKnife Center, supports both the Swedish Cancer Institute and the Swedish Neuroscience Institute.
The center has offered CyberKnife services since 2006. This year Swedish installed an Elekta Leksell Perfexion Gamma Knife®, making it one of the most advanced stereotactic radiosurgery centers in the country. CyberKnife can be used to treat cancerous and noncancerous tumors in all areas of the body.
At Swedish, Gamma Knife will be used to treat cancer of the brain and some neurological conditions, such as essential tremor, trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformations. Providing Swedish neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists access to both of these advanced technologies gives them greater flexibility in selecting the best radiation therapy for their patients. For more information, go to www.swedish.org/radiosurgery or call 206-320-7130.
