Melting Away Brain Tumors
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – The treatments for glioblastomas, which are malignant tumors in the brain, can seem daunting and sometimes treatment is not even possible. Offering new hope for people with the deadly brain tumors is a device called the NeuroBlate, which destroys the tumors with a never before seen laser system.
Researchers tested the new device on ten patients with glioblastomas whose tumors were considered to be inoperable or high-risk due to their proximity to important parts of the brain or inaccessibility. Guided by an MRI, surgeons move a laser to the exact location of the tumor which will then heat and kill the brain tumor.
“This enables the surgeon to adjust the treatment continuously as it is delivered, which increases precision in treating the cancer and avoiding surrounding healthy brain tissue,” study author Andrew Sloan, M.D., Director of Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, was quoted as saying.
All ten participants came out of the procedure without any serious complications and nine of them were even mobile within a few hours after the surgery. On average the patients’ survival after the tumor removal was close to ten and a half months, a longer period of time than individuals with an advanced form of the disease are expected to live.
Another added benefit to using the NeuroBlate is the entire tumor is destroyed during the surgery.
“Unlike therapies using ionizing radiation, NeuroBlate therapy results in tumor death at the time of the procedure,” researcher Gene Barnett, M.D., Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at Cleveland Clinic and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, was quoted as saying.
Since this trial successfully showed the usefulness of the new device for treating individuals with glioblastomas, a larger study is in the works. The confidence in the device’s ability suggests that someday soon, NeuroBlate will be melting tumors across the country.
Source: Journal of Neurosurgery, April 2013