Israeli doctors have successfully started using an innovative method of radiation therapy called stereotactic radio surgery to treat kidney cancer. The effectiveness reaches 95%, and the short-term side effects are minimal.
Kidney cancer, which is a relatively common oncological disease in people over 60, falls into the category of tumors that are usually not treated with radiation therapy – until today, it has been considered ineffective in such cases. Surgery is typically used to remove the growths in the vast majority of cases. However, the problem is that due to age and often the presence of accompanying conditions, not all patients can undergo surgery. Additionally, the elderly and the postoperative hospitalization period are usually quite lengthy. Therefore, doctors worldwide have been searching for an alternative to surgical removal of malignant kidney tumors.
As a result of research, technological advancements, and a better understanding of the nature of kidney cancer, doctors have developed the most effective scheme for using radiation therapy in patients who cannot undergo surgery. One such option is a session of stereotactic radio surgery. The essence of the treatment is that a high-dose beam of radioactive radiation is directed precisely at the tumor area without affecting the surrounding healthy tissues. Five years of research have confirmed the high efficacy of this treatment, with doctors achieving victory over cancer in 95% of cases. Furthermore, only 4% of the 190 participants in the study required dialysis five years after treatment. Moreover, it was found that a single short session of stereotactic radio surgery is significantly more effective than a series of multiple radiation treatments.
The advantages of this method are evident: a patient can get rid of cancer in less than half an hour (the session lasts 20-30 minutes). Stereotactic radio surgery not only eliminates the need for surgery but also serves as an alternative treatment option. It gives a chance to patients for whom surgery is contraindicated.
Israeli doctors have successfully implemented this new method into medical practice, and specialists at the Davidoff Oncology Center in Petah Tikva have applied it.
