– Dr. Aditya Gupta –
Rahul age 42 years had noticed pain in his right shoulder for over one year, but neglecting it thinking it to be a minor issue. It came to his notice only when the symptoms were persistent and troubling his daily activities and he observed the growth of the pain to be very rapid. When he decided to consult a specialist, most of the doctors had the opinion to perform surgery, while many others told it to be a cancer. Being dejected, he decided to go for a second opinion in order to prevent the chemotherapy and surgical treatment. For better diagnosis, the patient made a visit to Artemis hospital, Gurugram. With the help of ultrasound, which was difficult to identify otherwise, the tumor had a milky white color and was developing.
On proper investigation the reports revealed that there was a small tumor next to the spinal cord. The team decided to go for the cyberknife treatment which is non-invasive and appropriate for such kind of tumors. With having zero side-effects, the patient was treated perfectly and discharged the same day. The patient has not needed to come back for regular post-operative check-up which was fine and is living a hassle free life.
What is Non-Cancerous Tumour?
Non-Cancerous tumor or non-malignant tumours are the abnormal growth of the tumor cells that do not proliferate and spread across the adjacent tissues. Such tumors can cause severity if left untreated, but prognosis is usually favorable with better response to treatment. Once after removal, the chances of re-growth of such cells are almost zero. All such tumors are non-life-threatening, but the probability to get transformed into malignant are very high if not treated on time.
Types of Non-Cancerous Tumour
· Ademona – these are the most common type of non-malignant tumors that can arise from the thin epithelial layer of glands. The most common sites to form such tumors are the liver, pituitary glands, thyroid glands, polyps in the colon or uterine cavity.
· Schwannoma – are non-malignant tumors of the tissue that covers nerves, called the nerve sheath. These tumours develop from a type of cell called a Schwann cell. The most common type of schwannoma is a vestibular schwannoma that affects the nerve responsible for balance (also called the vestibular nerve). It can cause inner ear deafness because the hearing and balance nerve run together, and as the tumor grows it damages the hearing nerve (cochlear nerve)
· Melanoma – The most dangerous form of skin cancer, these cancerous growths develop when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells (most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds) triggers genetic defects that lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. These tumors originate in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Melanomas often resemble moles; some develop from moles. The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but they can also be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white. Melanoma is caused mainly by intense, occasional UV exposure (frequently leading to sunburn), especially in those who are genetically predisposed to the disease. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths. If melanoma is recognized and treated early, it is almost always curable, but if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal.
Cyberknife – the best option for non-malignant tumor
CyberKnife radiation surgery is the most advanced, non invasive radiation therapy tool available to treat cancerous as well as non cancerous tumors with the help of precise beams of high-dose radiation. It is one of the best options for providing ablative dosage and proves to be a valid alternate to surgical intervention. Being non-invasive, it also prevents any kind of blood loss eliminating the need for anesthesia. Even when the conventional therapies fail, cyberknife is also effective in post-operative residuals and in recurrent cases by boosting the conventional radiation.
The CyberKnife radiation therapy works the best for tumors that are upto 3cm in size and is a very powerful and precise technique, for patients with early stage primary, medically inoperable tumours. The treatment is safe to administer and also offers a new option in patients with recurrent disease or a single disease in the body. It is a no pain and a no risk, day-care treatment wherein patients are discharged as soon as the session gets over and therefore, no hospitalisation is required. The treatment uses a sophisticated image guidance system to beam high doses of radiation directly to your tumor.
The M6 – Cyberknife is uniquely designed to deliver accurate and exact radiation dose even to a moving tumor anywhere in the body, while preventing the adjacent tissue damage. This makes it an ideal treatment option to cure any non-malignant tumor.
Non-malignant tumors are usually a day care procedure that hardly takes upto 1 hour of treatment and the patient is ready to get back to the daily activities without any hassle. Available at the same cost as any other conventional treatment, it is also pain-free and non invasive nature along with quicker recovery.
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About the author
Dr. Aditya Gupta
Author and Senior Consultant
Dr Aditya Gupta, Director, Neurosurgery, Agrim institute for neurosciences, Artemis Hospital
Disclaimer : The views expressed by the author in this feature are entirely his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of INVC NEWS.
