15-minute radiosurgery transforms the life of a 78-year-old patient.
Bengaluru: When 78-year- old MC Joseph, a Bengalure- an, started experiencing de- bilitating tremors in his head and left arm, his life began to take a turn for the worse. Wri ting, walking and even slee ping became increasingly dif ficult. Little did he know that a treatment a 15-minute non-invasive procedure would improve his quality of life in just two days.
The solution was Cyber- Knife radiosurgery, an outpa- tient procedure, requiring no anaesthesia or hospital stay Dr Lohith Reddy, lead radia- tion oncologist for functional radiosurgery at HCG Cancer Hospital where he under went the procedure, told TOI:
"Joseph, a prostate cancer survivor was treated at our hospital five years ago, struggled with Parkinson's disease, which caused severe tremors and muscle fatigue. The standard treatment for Parkinson's tremors is inva- sive deep brain stimulation, which involves surgery to tar- get the thalamus. Instead, I suggested an alternative: Cy berKnife, a non-invasive technology that uses highly focused X-rays to ablate the affected thalamus area. This procedure requires no ana esthesia, incisions or hospi- talisation just 15 minutes of treatment."
After detailed planning using advanced imaging techniques like 3-Tesla MRI and DOPA PET-CT to precise- ly locate the affected nuclei, the doctors performed the procedure. Within two days, his tremors completely disap- peared. His quality of life im- proved dramatically-he co- uld meditate, walk, and resu- menormal activities. The treatment, conducted on Jan 22, showed immediate effects. By the next morning, Joseph's tremors reduced by 70-75%, allowing him to sleep peace- fully, highlighted Dr Lohith.
Joseph's son, MJ Cherian, shared their journey: "We first noticed his symptoms in 2019 when his head began bobbing while writing. Over time, it affected his entire left side. After his prostate can- cer treatment in 2021 when his cancer screenings were clear, doctors suggested Cy- berKnife for Parkinson's. The procedure was pain-free, quick, and non-invasive. He walked out the same day with no complications. Now, his tremors are almost gone, and we're hopeful of even better results in the coming weeks."
