Clinical Study Compares Treatment for Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Brain Tumors

Albany Medical Center is the first hospital in the region to offer a clinical trial using GammaTile Therapy, an FDA-cleared, innovative radiation implant for the treatment of operable brain tumors.

GammaTile Therapy is Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) that helps delay brain tumor regrowth while protecting healthy brain tissue.

The ROADS Clinical Study compares two FDA-cleared radiation treatments that are proven safe and effective, GammaTile STaRT and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). Patients participating in this clinical research study will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups—brain tumor removal surgery with GammaTile Therapy or brain tumor removal surgery with SRT. The first patient enrolled in the ROADS study at Albany Medical Center was treated by neurosurgeon Alexandra Paul, MD, and Edward Farhangi, MD, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology.

“Participation in this study reaffirms the Albany Med Health System’s commitment to offering the most innovative and advanced treatments for brain tumors,” said Dr. Paul. “We’re pleased to offer our patients another option after receiving a difficult brain tumor diagnosis.”

Despite that over 200,000 patients are diagnosed with aggressive brain tumors in the U.S. each year, effective treatment remains a challenge. GammaTile Therapy represents the first new FDA clearance for treating brain tumors since 2011 and has been adopted by 95 leading treatment centers around the country. Albany Medical Center began offering GammaTile in 2022 and has treated six patients with the therapy to date.

“With GammaTile, patients begin receiving radiation immediately following placement and continue to receive treatment as they go about their daily lives, thereby decreasing the burdens of repeated appointments and improving the quality of both the patient’s and the caregiver’s lives,” said Dr. Farhangi.

The postage-stamp-sized GammaTiles are embedded with small radiation sources and implanted in the last five minutes of brain tumor removal surgery. Radiation immediately begins targeting residual tumor cells in the area where the tumor is most likely to recur. The collagen tile carrier naturally resorbs into adjacent tissue over time and does not need to be removed. GammaTile Therapy is proven to help prevent tumor regrowth while minimizing side effects. This one-and-done approach enables patients to return to their daily lives sooner, without the need for ongoing daily radiation treatments.

“We are honored to be working with Albany Medical Center in this important clinical study,” said Matthew Likens, CEO of GT Medical Technologies. “Patients deserve access to new treatments that can extend their lifespan while improving quality of life.”

For more information, interested patients and providers should call Albany Medical Center’s Department of Neurosurgery at 518-262-5088.