Martin Kemp and the Gamma Knife

Martin Kemp first noticed a concerning lump on the back of his head over 20 years ago. Following an MRI scan, doctors at the time discovered that he had two brain tumours. The larger one was just below his skull, but the other was embedded deep in his brain. The prognosis was not good. Surgeons were able to successfully remove the larger tumour. Unfortunately, the second tumour was in a position that made an operation very risky. Surgery could cause irreparable damage to the healthy tissue in his brain. Martin's wife began looking into alternatives. That's when she discovered a revolutionary radiotherapy treatment being offered at St Barts Hospital. The treatment was non-invasive, delivering high-dose beams of radiation to brain tumours previously deemed inoperable. Martin was an ideal candidate, and the treatment was a success. The machine he was treated with was a predecessor to today's Gamma Knife. On 4 September 2009, fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, Martin opened the London Gamma Knife Centre at St Bartholomew's. The Gamma Knife continues to successfully treat patients who, like Martin, have brain tumours that traditional surgery can't reach.