Tests showed that his symptoms were
caused by a tumor located at the front of
the brain, called a meningioma. Although
most meningiomas are noncancerous,
they can grow large enough to affect the
brain's functioning, causing disability
and even death.
At that time, neurosurgeon Amos
Dare, MD, performed a craniotomy
(surgery of the brain) to remove the
meningioma. Although Dr. Dare was able
to remove most of the tumor, a small part
of it had to remain because it was located
in an area too delicate to navigate further.
"I was told that there was a possibility
that the tumor could start growing again
and cause complications," Joseph recalls,
"so I underwent periodic testing to monitor
its growth. Last December, follow-up tests
showed that the tumor had, once again,
started to grow.
"Dr. Dare advised me that a second
craniotomy wasn't a good option because
of my age and the now much smaller size
of the growth, and he recommended that
I undergo a new noninvasive radiation
therapy procedure called Novalis Shaped
Beam Surgery, available at The Regional
Cancer Center at Wellington."
Before deciding on this treatment,
Joseph researched other currently available
technologies and interviewed physicians at
other facilities. He was impressed to learn
of the precision of Novalis radiosurgery.
When he was informed that he would
only need one treatment versus up to
20 treatments that would be required
with other technologies, he decided that
Novalis was the best option for him.
"When someone is going to do
something to your brain, you want to make
the right choice," Joseph says. "My doctor
told me that The Regional Cancer Center at
Wellington was an excellent place to have
my procedure done, and I felt confident
that I was in good hands."
During the procedure, Joseph wore
a halo-type device around his head to
keep him precisely aligned at all times.
The Novalis machine then rotated around
him, delivering continuous radiation
while changing the shape of the beam
to match the exact contour of the tumor
from every angle.
"I didn't feel any discomfort," Joseph
says. "I was amazed. I went home after
the procedure and even went out to
dinner with my wife that night."
Since his treatment, he says he's back
to all the activities he enjoys — playing
golf, mowing the lawn and going out
with his wife. Two months after the
procedure, a follow-up MRI brought
some good news from his doctors:
The tumor had stopped growing.
"The doctors say the tumor should
die within a year," Joseph says. "I have
every confidence that the tumor is doing
what it's supposed to do. They say I don't
need to worry about the tumor growing
back or needing another surgery. It's
tremendous that this type of technology
is available at The Regional Cancer
Center at Wellington, so close to home.
That's great news for anyone needing
treatment living in this area."
For more information, please call
561-793-6500.
The Novalis® Advantage
With Novalis treatment, a tumor or
lesion can be targeted with such precision
that the radiation oncologist can apply
a higher dose of radiation to destroy
the tumor while nearby vital structures
receive only a fraction of the dose.
How It Works
During treatment, Novalis steadily
moves around the patient's body so that
radiation beams penetrate the tumor
from different angles, ensuring the
tumor receives the fully prescribed dose
of radiation while healthy surrounding
tissue is spared.
Benefits
Other Indications for Novalis
If you have been diagnosed with a
benign or malignant tumor of the brain,
spine, prostate, liver, lung or other delicate
area, Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery might
be right for you. For more information,
please call The Regional Cancer Center
at Wellington at 561-793-6500.
Surgery Without the Knife
Hitting the Target With Novalis®
Two years ago, 77-year-old Wellington
resident Joseph Pristas was having
breakfast with his wife when,
suddenly, he couldn't move or talk.
He thought he was having a stroke.
Joseph Pristas is back playing golf after
undergoing Novalis Shaped Beam Surgery
to treat his brain tumor.
The Novalis Procedure
Novalis delivers the radiation dose to the above tumor (in red) in five dynamic arcs, while continuously shaping the radiation beams to match the size and shape of the tumor.
Last February, Dr. Dare and chief radiation
oncologist Kishore K. Dass, MD, worked as
a team to plan and perform his treatment.
Joseph underwent a magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) scan two days before
surgery and a computed tomography scan
the day of the procedure. Doctors used the
imaging studies combined with Novalis'
advanced computer software to calculate
the ideal access points of the tumor and
create a customized treatment plan.
Kishore K. Dass, MD, is
a board-certified radiation
oncologist and medical
director of The Regional
Cancer Center. Dr. Dass is
a graduate of the Loyola
University Chicago Stritch
School of Medicine and an alumnus of the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio,
where he was instrumental in the development
of stereotactic radiosurgery.
The Regional Cancer Center at Wellington
is one of a select group of medical centers
nationwide to offer Novalis Shaped
Beam Surgery, one of the most advanced
radiation therapy systems available today
for delivery of noninvasive stereotactic
radiosurgery or radiotherapy.
Novalis' sophisticated software calculates
the ideal angles of the radiation beams
to best treat the targeted area. A micromultileaf
collimator shapes the radiation
beams to precisely match the size and
shape of the tumor from all angles.
Novalis treatment is noninvasive with
only minor incisions for cranial halo
procedures. Treatment is virtually
painless with the patient remaining
awake throughout. In most cases, the
procedure is performed on an outpatient
basis. Where applicable, Novalis allows
a complete treatment session to take
place in a single day, and the actual
treatment time lasts only minutes.
Other conditions that can be treated
with Novalis include arteriovenous
malformations (a type of vascular disorder)
of the brain, functional brain disorders
(e.g., trigeminal neuralgia/tic douloureux),
acoustic neuromas and pituitary adenomas.
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Wellington Regional Medical Center, 10101 Forest Hill Blvd. Wellington, FL 33414 (561) 798-8500 |
