For over four decades, patients have benefited from treatment with Gamma Knife™ radiosurgery for a variety of medical conditions. Due to its widespread success in the treatment of several types of brain cancer, global market growth for Gamma Knife™ treatment involving the head—which dominates the market share at over 88.1%—is expected to exceed $364.8 million by 2025.⁽¹⁾ As more patients seek treatment at facilities which offer Gamma Knife™ radiosurgery, such as the San Diego Gamma Knife Center (www.sdgkc.com/)^® (SDGKC), the market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%.⁽¹⁾

In terms of geographical location, North America has traditionally led market revenue share, accounting for over 29.2% of revenue in 2014.⁽¹⁾ By 2025, treatment of brain metastasis is expected to account for over $285.7 million in the United States market alone.⁽²⁾ However, as more patients worldwide are treated using Gamma Knife™ for a variety of medical conditions (for example, brain metastases, benign brain tumors such as pituitary adenomas, meningiomas and acoustic neuromas. Both the European and Asia Pacific markets are expected to expand at CAGRs of 7.7% and 10.5%, respectively.⁽¹⁾

A large part of this growth is the confirmation of the Gamma Knife™ an effective treatment option for a wide variety of medical conditions that benefit from a precision (ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/precisionmedicine/definition) approach. Beyond its use as a successful therapy for metastatic brain tumors (braintumor.org/brain-tumor-information/understanding-brain-tumors/, the Gamma Knife™ has provided powerful results to patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, movement disorders, and arteriovenous malformations.⁽³⁾

Dr. Kenneth Ott, Neurosurgeon at SDGKC, said, “The need for the radiosurgical treatment of metastatic brain tumors is vast and growing. Radiosurgery will also play an important part in the emerging field of neuro-augmentation. Stereotactic functional neurosurgery for pain, obsessive compulsive disorders, seizure disorders and other functional brain disorders will provide further patients to Gamma Knife facilities.”

Additionally, as more patients become aware of the advantages of radiosurgery, there is an increasing demand for this minimally invasive surgical method which has proven to be painless and less time-consuming.⁽²⁾ Support from governmental agencies, which are increasingly interested in initiatives focused on advancing the practice of radiosurgery, will further drive market growth as more healthcare facilities receiving government funding turn to the practice.⁽²⁾

“As the nation-wide cost of medical care and facilities continued to increase, it is increasingly important to healthcare facilities to provide cost-efficient treatment, such as radiosurgery,” said Dr. Ott. “Single treatment in a few hours, in an outpatient facility avoids the cost of in-patient care and the complications necessitated by open surgery. Patients are increasingly aware that co-pay and deductible costs are reduced with Gamma Knife radiosurgery.”

To learn more about the San Diego Gamma Knife Center^®, please visit http://www.sdgkc.com.