Inova becomes first in the mid-Atlantic region to offer GammaTile Therapy for brain tumors

Revolutionary technology for brain tumor treatment gives Brian new hope

Brian Johnson has been through a lot since he was first diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2016. In addition to its effect on his kidney, the cancer eventually spread to his left lung and his brain. Again and again, with the support of his wife, Laura, and his care teams, Brian beat the cancer back. When Brian and Laura learned that his brain tumor had come back, they were concerned.

Fortunately, Brian was able to receive care at the multidisciplinary Inova Brain and Spine Tumor program, where he had access to a new, advanced treatment option, GammaTile® Therapy. Inova Fairfax Hospital is the first and only hospital in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC, to offer GammaTile.

“GammaTile therapy is done in collaboration between a neurosurgeon and a radiation oncologist,” said Mateo Ziu, MD, MBA, Medical Director, Inova Brain and Spine Tumor Program and Co-Director, Neuro-Oncology, Inova Schar Cancer. “Our brain and spine tumor program puts the patient at the center, with physicians from different specialties coming together, to determine the best way forward. Without such close collaboration, technological leaps forward like GammaTile would not be possible.”

To learn more about Brian’s care at Inova Brain and Spine Tumor Program, including his treatment with GammaTile, watch this video:

What GammaTile is, why it helps and how it is unique

Sometimes, brain tumors come back even after surgical removal, medical therapy and radiotherapy. In those cases, the new tumor can be more difficult to treat, because the patient has already received some form of radiotherapy to treat the first tumor. Before GammaTile, the best option for these patients, like Brian, was often another surgery to remove the new tumor growth. However, the patient’s tumor would be just as likely to come back after a second surgery as it was after the first.

GammaTile is a targeted treatment to address the recurrence of a brain tumor. GammaTile is a form of radiotherapy that works from inside the brain, where the tumor is located. It can be used for patients who have been newly diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, and it can also be used for recurrent brain tumors that have grown back after surgery and/or radiotherapy. It’s useful for a variety of brain tumor types including gliomas, glioblastomas, meningiomas and tumors that started elsewhere in the body and spread to the brain, like Brian’s.

The technology is a series of postage-stamp-sized, biodegradable collagen tiles, which are embedded with radioactive “seeds.” After the patient’s tumor is removed, these tiles are placed around the edges of the space where the tumor was. The radiotherapy immediately begins targeting tumor cells in the surrounding area from the inside, killing additional cancer cells before they can grow back.

Making a difference for Brian

GammaTile gave Brian and Laura a reason to be hopeful. “The GammaTile has allowed me to live on, and the idea is the tile is a lasting effect,” Brian said. “Cancer takes so much away from you – you can’t let it take everything from you,” he added. “You’ve got to keep fighting.”

Offering the complete range of radiotherapy

“Inova is one of the few centers in the country that has every radiotherapy modality available. We have proton therapy. We have a CyberKnife. We have adaptive radiotherapy with the Ethos, and now we’re able to offer intracranial brachytherapy with GammaTile,” said radiation oncologist and Co-Director of Stereotactic Radiosurgery at Inova Daniel Kim, MD, MBA. “Being able to have a truly comprehensive suite of radiotherapy options for the most complex brain tumors is wonderful to offer our patients.”

Inova Neurosciences is a regional leader in the diagnosis, treatment and research of complex neurological conditions involving the brain, spine and nervous system. The multidisciplinary Inova Brain and Spine Tumor program, a collaboration between Inova Neurosciences and Inova Schar Cancer, includes experts with advanced training in neurosurgical, neuro-oncology and radiotherapy treatment of benign and malignant brain and spine tumors. With more than 25 specialized programs, Inova has the largest and most expansive neuroscience capabilities in Northern Virginia.

“The GammaTile has allowed me to live on, and the idea is the tile is a lasting effect. Cancer takes so much away from you – you can’t let it take everything from you. You’ve got to keep fighting.” – Brian Johnson

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