SSM Health SLU Hospital among the ELITE providers of innovative brain tumor therapy.
Patients suffering from new and recurrent cancerous brain tumors now have an advanced option for receiving radiation therapy immediately following surgery. GammaTile Therapy is the most recent brain tumor treatment to receive FDA approval (2018), and has demonstrated dramatic results in controlling tumor regrowth and extending the life of brain cancer patients. Studies show that at one year, 89% of brain metastases patients experienced no recurrence with GammaTile Therapy, versus 33% with previous treatment.*
SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital is one of only three hospitals offering the treatment in the state of Missouri, and the only one to have achieved ELITE status by treating 10 or more patients with GammaTile. Currently, there are fewer than 30 ELITE centers nationwide.
To date, three of SSM Health’s SLUCare Physician Group Neurosurgeons and Dr. John Dombrowski, Chair of Radiation Oncology at SSM Health SLU Hospital, have performed the procedure. Dr. Dombrowski notes, ” Saint Louis University Hospital is proud to have this designation after successfully removing those tumors, providing radiation's additional reassurance of local tumor bed control before ever leaving the hospital, and sharing its benefits with our patients.”
With GammaTile Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT), patients receive a collagen-based implant at the tumor site at the time of surgery that releases a therapeutic dose of radiation to the targeted area without delay and without harming nearby tissue. GammaTile treatment also eliminates the need for multiple external radiation treatments, offers precise control of radiation material placement, and minimizes side effects, such as hair loss. In addition, no surgical removal of the implant is required.
GammaTile can only be used on operable tumors, including meningiomas, glioblastomas, and metastatic tumors, and may not be indicated in all situations. Learn more about GammaTile Therapy and call 314-617-2000 to schedule an appointment with a SLUCare physician to discuss treatment options.
*Imber B et al. Salvage resec1on plus cesium-131 brachytherapy durably controls post-SRS recurrent brain metastases. J Neuro-oncol 159, 609–618 (2022).