Radiosurgery for brain tumours
BMJ 1999; 318 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.318.7196.1489a (Published 29 May 1999) Cite this as: BMJ 1999;318:1489Editorial was wrong to denigrate radiosurgery so strongly
- C B T Adams, Consultant neurosurgeon
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Radcliffe Infirmary NHS Trust, Oxford OX2 6HE
- University Department of Neurosurgery, Graz, Austria
EDITOR—Brada and Cruickshank criticise the use of radiosurgery in general and gamma knife radiosurgery in particular, apparently because of the lack of any controlled trials or robust case-control studies to show its efficacy.1 Of course controlled trials are desirable, but if treatments are withheld until data from such trials are available then few, if any, neurosurgical operations or conventional radiotherapy treatments would be carried out. David Forster and his team at Sheffield have reported studies of gamma knife radiosurgery for otherwise inoperable arteriovenous malformations and for acoustic neuromas.2 Is a controlled trial of radiosurgery needed when the end point is angiographically proved obliteration of the arteriovenous malformation or reduction of tumour volume as seen on magnetic resonance imaging? …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £164 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£30 / $37 / €33 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.