Westchester Medical Center recently became the first neurosurgical oncology program in the Hudson Valley* to offer a targeted therapy for brain tumors that can help delay tumor progression, spare healthy tissue and reduce the number of post-surgical radiation treatments - and the side effects that come along with them.
GammaTile® is a radionuclide brachytherapy source cleared for use by the Food and Drug Administration for appropriate patients with newly diagnosed malignant and recurrent brain neoplasms (tumors), including gliomas, glioblastomas, meningiomas, and brain metastases.
The therapy consists of a postage-stamp sized implant surgically embedded into a patient's brain at the time of tumor removal. The implant immediately releases targeted, therapeutic doses of radiation to any remaining tumor cells in the resection cavity. This gradual process of local radiation occurs as the patient goes about his or her daily life, allowing the patient to bypass traditional radiation treatments, which may require as many as 30 treatments spanning several weeks.
The National Brain Tumor Society estimates over 84,000 people in the U.S. will receive a primary** brain tumor diagnosis in 2021 with tumors labeled as "aggressive" being resistant to traditional treatments and carrying a higher likelihood of recurrence. GammaTile's precise application targets and delivers therapy to the area of the brain most likely to have a recurrence, thereby improving onging tumor control. The precise application also spares surrounding healthy tissue and lessens the impact of common radiation side effects, such as hair loss, fatigue and nausea.
Removal of the implant is unnecessary as the patient's body resorbs the implant after it delivers the required doses of radiation.
"Brain tumor diagnosis, removal and aftercare can pose quite a challenge for the patient and his or her family," said Simon Hanft, MD, Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology at Westchester Medical Center. "At Westchester Medical Center, we are always searching for ways to lessen the impact of such a diagnosis while maintaining treatment effectiveness."
Neuroscience Technology Investments at Westchester Medical Center
GammaTile is the latest in a series of neuroscience technology investments made by Westchester Medical Center to improve patient outcomes and get patients back to their everyday life as soon as possible.
Medical advances used by the neuroscience specialists at Westchester Medical Center include:
- A new software platform that provides detailed views of the brain; artificial intelligence for advanced stroke detection
- Three-dimensional, high-definition operating microscopes
- Flow diverter stents used in the care of cerebral aneurysms
- Surgical robots for complex surgical interventions
- Responsive neurostimulation therapy
- A solution that makes brain tumors glowfor easier identification
- The Hudson Valley's only hybrid-operating room where surgeons and interventionists can perform procedures using advanced imaging equipment.
Westchester Medical Center's Neurosurgical Oncology Solutions
Westchester Medical Center's neurosurgical oncology program consists of specialists in neurosurgery, neuroradiology, radiation medicine, medical oncology and neurology, as well as supportive care in nursing, neuropsychology, rehabilitation medicine and social services. Those interested in a consultation with a WMCHealth neuro-oncology specialist should make an appointment by calling 914.493.2363.
About Westchester Medical Center, the flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network
Westchester Medical Center is the premier provider of advanced medical care in New York's Hudson Valley region. The flagship of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, this 415-bed academic hospital located in Valhalla, New York, provides local residents with acute care services – Level I trauma and burn care, organ transplants, Comprehensive Stroke Center and more - found nowhere else in the region. Westchester Medical Center is the primary referral facility for other hospitals in the Hudson Valley and serves as a lifeline for more than 2.4 million people. To learn more about Westchester Medical Center and the vital services it provides to residents of the Hudson Valley and beyond, visit WestchesterMedicalCenter.org or follow Westchester Medical Center at Facebook.com/WestchesterMedicalCenter or Twitter.com/WestchesterMed.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on eight campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the HudsonValley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1, Level 2 and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, Primary and Comprehensive Stroke Centers, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State, today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org.
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*According to GT Medical Technologies
**Tumors that begin in the cells of the brain, according to the National Brain Tumor Society.