Tom almost suffers an accident due to the first symptoms of the disease: doctors found 40 metastases in his brain

“It was good that the sudden attack was short and the car was controlled. However, the coordination failed later, so I went to the doctors without expecting anything.

I did not even suspect that I had a melanoma with multiple metastases in my mind, ”says the 46-year-old, who had a total of 40 metastatic foci in his brain in March.

“I have visited several hospitals, I do not count how many tests they have done me in all this time. I am a young and hardworking person, every minute of my life is very valuable to me. When the doctor who supervised me informed me about the possible operation with a gamma knife in Kaunas, I contacted the neurosurgeons at the Kaunas clinics without expecting anything, ”Tomas recalls the beginning of his treatment.

According to the press release, according to Andrius Radžiūnas, a neurosurgeon at the Kaunas Clinics Gamma Knife Center, the Gamma Knife procedure was Tomas’ last hope.

“We evaluated the young age of the patient, the volume of the melanoma and decided to surgically remove the two largest metastases and treat the rest with a gamma knife. Because we found out from studies that there were 40 metastatic foci in the brain, the treatment was long and complicated. It is gratifying that it has not caused any pain or complications to the patient, but it was a great challenge for us doctors, ”said the doctor.

After analyzing the metastases, the doctors predicted that the gamma knife treatment would last 9 hours, so it was divided into several sessions. After this stage, Tom was also waiting for open surgery. According to A. Radžiūnas, after the applied treatment, the patient began to rapidly strengthen.

“The result of the gamma knife treatment, compared to other procedures, is very fast and effective. In just a few days, the unpleasant sensations that had hurt people until then disappear. After treatment in Kaunas, the patient underwent active systemic biological therapy in Vilnius, after which, after repeated examinations, more than half of the metastatic foci in his head disappeared, and the rest significantly decreased.

Such a successful treatment of a very complex disease was only possible with an excellent multidisciplinary team and institutional collaboration. This allows us to take full advantage of available medical technologies by treating patients from all over Lithuania. ”

Tom says he felt no discomfort during the gamma knife treatment session and that relaxing music played throughout the treatment. “Before the gamma knife treatment, my condition only worsened: the coordination of the meshes, the tormented headaches, the hands dissolved.

Well-being improved very quickly after the operations, the man is happy. “All my life I will be grateful to the neurosurgeon Andrius Radžiūnas and the entire team of the Kaunas clinics; these people never refuse to help and find a way out even from a seemingly hopeless situation.”

Because the man has metastases in other areas of the body, treatment continues at the National Cancer Institute. According to Tom, his health is currently good: the man has returned to work and continues to try to lead a normal life.

The Gamma Knife safely and effectively treats not only benign brain tumors and metastatic tumors, cerebrovascular malformations, but also cavernomas, functional diseases (such as tremors, epilepsy), Parkinson’s disease, trigeminal neuralgia, uncontrolled pain

The gamma knife is special because it does not require open cuts in the skull during operation. A CT scan, magnetic vibration spectrogram, or angiogram is used to create a “map” of a patient’s brain.

The visual information obtained is transferred to a special computer system, with the help of which doctors determine the coordinates of the target. 192 sources generate ionizing beams that are directed very precisely to the required area in the brain through an automated system.

Gamma rays only affect where they intersect, leaving the rest of the path healthy. This safely destroys the tumor or other derivative in the brain without damaging the surrounding vital cells.

Thanks to this treatment, patients are able to maintain their cognitive function and quality of life.