Grandview Medical Center Now Offering New Targeted Therapy for Brain Tumors

3/20/2024

BIRMINGHAM, AL (March 20, 2024) ---- Grandview Medical Center is the first hospital in Birmingham and among the first in the region to offer a surgically targeted radiation therapy (STaRT) designed to delay brain tumor regrowth while protecting healthy brain tissue. The first patient in Birmingham was treated by Dr. Elizabeth Kuhn, neurosurgeon, and Dr. W. Henry Ennis, radiation oncologist, at Grandview. Dr. Kuhn is the first in the state to perform this surgery.

"I am so excited and proud to offer this new therapy to patients with malignant brain tumors, primarily because it puts patients and their families first,” said Dr. Kuhn. “This targeted therapy allows patients to focus on what is most important to them--healing and spending time with family--while also receiving necessary radiation treatment. It also provides hope in improving both survival and quality of life."

Immediately following Dr. Kuhn’s surgery, a second patient at Grandview received the targeted therapy performed by Dr. Phillip Cezayirli, neurosurgeon, and Dr. Ennis.

This targeted therapy is for patients with newly diagnosed malignant brain tumors and recurrent brain tumors, including gliomas, glioblastomas, meningiomas, and brain metastases. The postage-stamp-sized tile, which is embedded with small radiation sources, is implanted in the last five minutes of brain tumor removal surgery. The radiation immediately begins targeting tumor cells in the area where the tumor is most likely to recur. Over time and after the radiation has been delivered, the tile naturally resorbs. This therapy is shown to improve local tumor control, which can extend a patient’s life.

"Our mission at Grandview is to provide quality healthcare and clinical excellence to the communities we serve,” said Dr. Ennis. “The ability to offer a new, targeted therapy as an addition to our stereotactic radiosurgery program does just that. I look forward to the new hope this treatment offers to our patients.”

The previous standard of care for patients with operable brain tumors is surgical removal of the tumor followed by adjuvant therapy, including radiation and chemotherapy. Traditional radiation is delivered in as many as 30 treatments extending over a period of several weeks. This causes a substantial burden of treatment for patients and their caregivers alike. This new therapy allows patients receive treatment as they go about their daily lives. Additionally, it is a highly targeted therapy. While a therapeutic dose is delivered to the area most likely to have a recurrence, healthy tissue is spared. As a result, most patients avoid losing their hair during treatment.

Over 200,000 patients are diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in the U.S. each year. Aggressive brain tumors tend to be resistant to current treatments and have a high likelihood of recurrence.

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