“We are pleased to offer GammaTile Therapy to patients who are newly diagnosed with malignant brain tumors, in addition to patients with recurrent brain tumors,” said Matthew Likens, president and CEO of GT Medical Technologies. “This is a significant step forward that expands our ability to improve the lives of patients with brain tumors. Patients receiving GammaTile Therapy immediately after the removal of a brain tumor will have the peace of mind that they are accelerating their radiation treatment and targeting residual tumor cells where treatment is most needed to help prevent recurrence.”
Approximately 700,000 Americans are living with some type of brain tumor each year, according to GT Medical Technologies. Despite the efforts of the most skilled brain tumor specialists, outcomes for patients with brain tumors have improved very little over the past 30 years. During this time, there have been only four FDA-approved drugs and two FDA-cleared devices available to patients and physicians for the treatment of brain tumors. GammaTile Therapy, which became available to patients with recurrent brain tumors in January 2019, is the most recent treatment cleared or approved by the FDA for the treatment of brain tumors.
GammaTile Therapy is specifically designed for use in the brain and offers advantages for patients undergoing surgery for brain tumors. GammaTile begins targeting residual tumor cells immediately at the time of tumor removal surgery, rather than waiting several weeks for surgical wound healing before beginning treatment. GammaTile protects healthy brain tissue while delivering a targeted dose to any remaining tumor cells. The unique design also limits side effects typically associated with radiation therapy, including hair loss. Additionally, the burden of radiation treatment is reduced for patients treated with GammaTile Therapy. These patients receive their course of radiation while going about their daily lives, requiring no additional trips to the hospital or clinic for radiation therapy.