HIALEAH, FL (April, 2024) — PALMETTO GENERAL HOSPITAL INTRODUCES INTRA-OPERATIVE RADIOTHERAPY (IORT) FOR BRAIN CANCER
Patients with certain types of brain cancer now have a new treatment option available at Palmetto General Hospital (PGH). PGH has begun providing radiotherapy using the ZEISS INTRABEAM intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) system to treat patients with cancers such as glioblastoma, metastatic brain tumors and recurrent brain disease.
“This is an excellent therapy option for patients that require brain surgery,” according to Dr. Jose Valerio, MD, MBA, MIBS, FAANS, FACS, Department Chair of Neurosurgery at PGH.
Dr. Valerio stated, “IORT provides our patients with another tool to fight brain cancer. This treatment delivers precise radiation during the surgical resection and may obviate the need for post-operative radiation. The idea is to have intra-operative radiation delivered directly to the tumor cavity to fight any remaining microscopic disease, while protecting surrounding healthy tissue from unwanted radiation.”
“With this new convenient treatment, the small spherical applicator of a miniaturized radiation device is inserted into the tumor bed,” said Dr. Valerio. “The therapy is delivered immediately after the tumor is removed. No additional surgery may be needed, and both radiotherapy treatment time and radiation exposure are reduced, which can contribute significantly to helping patients get back to their lives more quickly and onto other adjuvant therapies as needed.”
Localizing the radiation directly within the tumor bed is effective because this is where cancer is most likely to recur. Several published clinical studies of pooled hospitals’ analyses of metastatic and GBM brain cancer suggest that IORT may improve progression free survival, and perhaps overall survival.
Anais Cortes, MD, MBA, CEO of Palmetto General Hospital stated, “We are very happy to offer IORT as a treatment option for our brain cancer patients. PGH is the first hospital to offer this IORT treatment for brain cancer using the INTRABEAM System in Southeast USA, further advancing our technical prowess for the benefit of our South Florida community. PGH intends to use this technology across many disciplines to treat a variety of cancers such as breast, brain, spine, abdominal, and others.”
Dr. Valerio suggests patients that have been diagnosed with brain cancer should speak with their physician about whether this treatment is right for them.
