Therapeutic Role of Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Neuro-Oncology

The Gamma Knife Center of St. Louis has established itself as a key facility offering stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for a variety of neuro-oncologic disorders. Since the Gamma Knife unit was first brought to Washington University in 1997, we have treated 5,696 patients. In this review, we discuss the effective role of Gamma Knife SRS in the treatment strategies for patients with neuro-oncologic disorders including brain metastases, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, and acoustic neuromas. While there is active ongoing research evaluating the most effective treatment for patients with these disorders, it is clear that best management practices may be tailored for individual patients utilizing SRS either alone or in conjunction alternative treatment strategies including open neurosurgical procedures, laser thermos-ablative surgery, and even new medical oncological treatment strategies.