Study Finds GammaTile Radiation Therapy More Effective Than Traditional Methods for Brain Metastases
Recent research from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting has highlighted that implanted tile-based radiation therapy, known as GammaTile, offers improved outcomes compared to conventional stereotactic radiotherapy in the treatment of brain metastases.
The study investigated the effects of GammaTile, a form of radiation where cesium-131-embedded collagen tiles are placed at the tumor site immediately after surgical resection. By starting radiation promptly after surgery, this method enhances local control and may allow patients to resume systemic cancer therapies more quickly.
The trial, involving 204 participants, directly compared the two radiation methods on patients with surgically resected brain metastases. The GammaTile group experienced significantly fewer recurrences at the surgical site, showing a 94% reduction in surgical bed recurrence (SBR) compared to the control, where stereotactic radiotherapy was used weeks post-surgery. Moreover, while precise median times to SBR could not be established in the GammaTile group due to low recurrence rates, the control group’s median time to SBR was 17.4 months.
Survival rates also favored tile-based radiation, with a notable 41% reduction in the risk of death over the control group. An estimated 61.7% of those treated with GammaTile survived two years post-diagnosis, versus 35.7% in the stereotactic radiotherapy group.
Despite the differences in effectiveness, serious side effects were comparable between the treatment groups. Both approaches documented grade 3 or higher adverse events, such as radiation necrosis and leptomeningeal disease, with similar frequency.
The trial underscores GammaTile's potential as a superior treatment for brain metastases, prompting consideration of its use as standard practice. Further studies, such as the ongoing BRIDGES trial, aim to explore the application of tile-based radiation in glioblastoma treatment and its impact on cognitive functions and other cancer therapies.