GammaTile therapy is designed to delay brain tumor recurrence. It is a form of brachytherapy where seeds are placed inside a mesh, called a tile. A neurosurgeon from Mayfield Brain & Spine places the tile in the tumor and a radiation oncologist from OHC determines the amount of radiation. Once in place, it immediately begins to target residual tumor cells with radiation while limiting the impact on healthy brain tissue.
GammaTile therapy is available at the Brain Tumor Center, a partnership of OHC, Mayfield Brain & Spine, and The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health.
Previously, individual seeds were implanted into the brain and glued in place and had the potential to migrate to another part of the brain. With GammaTile, the radiation is embedded into a wafer that is similar to a surgical sponge and eliminates the worry that individual seeds will move from their original placement.
Implanting tiles that contain several seeds rather than placing seeds one by one also cuts down on the length of the surgery and, consequently, the length of time the patient is under anesthesia. The process is very quick. It can be done in less than 5 minutes.
GammaTile has been cleared by the FDA for patients whose glioblastoma has grown back. Glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of glioma tumor, tends to be resistant to current treatments and has a high likelihood of recurrence.
For more information, call OHC at 1-800-710-4674.
