GammaTile Therapy Is Shown to Slow Brain Tumor Progression, Designed to Improve Patient and Caregiver Quality of Life
A Rhode Island Hospital neurosurgeon, Clark Chen, MD, is the first in the state to offer GammaTile®, an FDA cleared bioresorbable radiotherapy implant for the treatment for patients with operable brain tumors. The first patient in Rhode Island was treated by Dr. Chen and Brijal Desai, MD, Radiation Oncologist, at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
"Because of their aggressive nature, many glioblastomas grow rapidly during the 4-6 weeks after surgery, while the patient awaits recovery in anticipation of radiation therapy. GammaTile offers a compelling treatment for these patients,” said Clark Chen, MD, PhD, Professor of Brown University and Director of the Brain Tumor Program, Rhode Island Hospital. “This innovative therapy enhances precision of radiation and allows radiation treatment to start immediately at the time of surgery.”
By delivering radiation directly into the surgical cavity at the time of tumor removal, GT Medical Technology’s (GT MedTech) GammaTile provides immediate, localized treatment. This approach targets remaining cancer cells when they are at their lowest levels to help prevent regrowth while minimizing radiation exposure to healthy brain tissue.1
Each year in the U.S., over 200,000 patients are diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor and one of the deadliest of human cancers. GammaTile is FDA-cleared for patients with newly diagnosed malignant (cancerous) brain tumors and recurrent brain tumors, including gliomas, glioblastomas, meningiomas, and brain metastases. The postage-stamp-sized GammaTile is embedded with small radiation sources and implanted at the time of the brain tumor surgery. By beginning radiation at the time of tumor removal, GammaTile is designed to target tumor cells in the area where the tumor is most likely to recur, aiming to positively impact both survival and quality of life for glioblastoma patients.
"Gamma Tile is a novel technology that can deliver therapeutic doses of radiation directly to areas that have an increased risk for cancer recurrence,” said Brijal Desai, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Brown University. “We are excited to offer GammaTile as a treatment option for our patients with the most aggressive brain tumors.”
The current standard of care for patients with operable brain tumors is surgical removal of the tumor followed by traditional external-beam radiation and chemotherapy. Unlike traditional external beam radiation therapies, which require a four-to-six-week treatment delay for surgical healing, require up to 30 additional hospital visits and pass radiation through healthy brain tissue, GammaTile delivers immediate, precise radiation at the tumor site. This localized delivery minimizes exposure to healthy tissue, thereby reducing the potential damage and side effects associated with traditional radiation treatments.1
“My glioblastoma grew rapidly after my initial surgery. I was so glad to hear the news that there is no evidence of tumor growth since the implant of the GammaTile. I feel better than ever” states Kathleen Flori, Rhode Island Hospital patient who underwent GammaTile treatment.
“We are honored to be working with the brain tumor specialists at Rhode Island Hospital to deploy GammaTile Therapy for the purpose of improving the lives of patients with brain tumors,” said Per Langoe, Chief Executive Officer at GT MedTech. “Patients deserve access to new treatments that can extend their lifespan while improving quality of life. We are excited to expand the availability of GammaTile Therapy to other leading brain tumor treatment centers across the U.S.”
1.Garcia MA, et al. J Neurooncol. 166:203-212 (2024).