Medical technology company IsoRay today announced that doctors at New York Presbyterian Hospital/ Weill Cornell Medical Center have performed the world’s first treatment of metastasized brain cancer using IsoRay’s Cesium-131 brachytherapy (internal radiation therapy) seeds, which previously received FDA clearance for the treatment of various cancers.
Treatment of metastasized cancers, which are cancers that spread from the site of the original tumor, is IsoRay’s latest application of pioneering brachytherapy treatment, representing milestone advancement in internal radiation therapy.
Doctors at the Medical Center implanted the seeds directly into a woman’s brain to treat a cancer that had originated in the breast.
Brain cancer treatment often involves removal of the brain tumor and weeks of recovery before external beam radiation treatment can begin. This time gap can increase the chance of tumor recurrence. New York Presbyterian Radiation Oncologist Dr. A. Gabriella Wernicke, M.D., M.Sc., said Cesium-131 is an important alternative because it gives doctors the opportunity to act immediately.
Cesium-131 offers several other benefits over current alternatives, including the advantage that it does not require weeks of follow-on treatment necessary with traditional external beam radiation, which involves numerous return trips to the hospital. IsoRay said Cesium-131 seeds offer rapid and aggressive delivery of radiation compared to other types of internal, low dose rate radiation and limit damage to healthy surrounding tissues and organs, directly impacting longevity and the potential of recurrence.
“The thought leaders at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center were among the early adopters of Cesium-131 because they were quick to recognize the important advantages Cesium-131 offers patients. I strongly believe that adoption of Cesium-131 for the treatment of primary and metastasized cancers will continue growing at an increasing rate as the medical community becomes aware of the significant advantages it offers in treating cancer sites throughout the body,” IsoRay CEO Dwight Babcock stated.
Since the successful treatment of the first patient, doctors at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center used IsoRay’s patented Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds to treat more than 20 other patients with recurrent Glioblastomas, as well as metastasized brain cancer.
For more information visit www.isoray.com
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