On August 15, 2019 HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center is the first hospital in Arizona to begin offering GammaTile Therapy, a new approach to treating recurrent brain tumors (Press release, GT Medical Technologies, AUG 15, 2019, View Source [SID1234538788]). GammaTile Therapy is an FDA-cleared, surgically targeted radiation therapy (STaRT) that is designed to delay tumor regrowth for patients with all types of recurrent brain tumors. The first patient was treated by John Wanebo, M.D., a neurosurgeon and an independent member of the HonorHealth medical staff.
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"The first patient I was able to treat with GammaTile Therapy had a very large, aggressive meningioma that has recurred several times," Dr. Wanebo said. "I am pleased to be able to offer this patient GammaTile Therapy – a treatment proven to delay brain tumor recurrence and improve quality of life. This therapy was developed with patients like this in mind, and I am hopeful that it will make a meaningful difference."
Data supporting the efficacy and safety profile of the therapy for patients with recurrent, previously treated meningiomas were published earlier this year in the Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS), the official journal of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Clinical data from other types of tumors, including gliomas, glioblastomas and metastases, were presented at the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in April.
Aggressive brain tumors tend to be resistant to current treatments and nearly always recur. Outcomes for patients with brain tumors have improved very little over the past 30 years. GammaTile consists of a bioresorbable, conformable 3D-collagen tile embedded with a Cesium radiation source. GammaTile is placed at the time of surgery so that it immediately begins to target residual tumor cells with radiation while limiting the impact on healthy brain tissue.
GammaTile Therapy offers some advantages over other treatments for patients undergoing surgery for recurrent brain tumors. A course of External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), for example, requires daily treatments for up to six weeks; in contrast, patients treated with GammaTile Therapy require no additional trips to the hospital or clinic. Additionally, many patients may not be candidates for EBRT at the time of tumor recurrence because the risk of additional EBRT outweighs the potential benefits. Finally, those patients who may be candidates for EBRT typically have to wait several weeks for surgical wound healing before beginning treatment, allowing residual tumor cells to replicate during this waiting period.
"We are thrilled to see GammaTile Therapy offered in Arizona – our home state, and the place where our co-founders first developed this therapy," said Matt Likens, president and CEO of GT MedTech. "Many patients with recurrent brain tumors have run out of options. Through the elegantly simple approach of GammaTile Therapy, we hope to create a new standard of care for these patients. Our purpose is to improve the lives of patients with brain tumors, and we are excited to continue delivering on this purpose by expanding the availability of GammaTile Therapy across the U.S."