Radioactive Brain Implant Reduces Tumor Recurrence and Boosts Survival After Cancer Surgery

A study of 230 patients with brain metastases showed that FDA-cleared GammaTile, a radioactive wafer placed where tumors are surgically removed, kept nearly two-thirds alive two years later versus around a third with standard radiation. Tumors recurred at the surgical site in just 1% of GammaTile patients compared to 12% with standard treatment. Between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans annually are diagnosed with cancer spread to the brain.

GammaTile radioactive implant

• ▪GammaTile is placed in the spot where brain tumors are surgically removed.
• ▪GammaTile is already cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.
• ▪GammaTile is a radioactive wafer the size of a postage stamp.

Clinical trial results

• ▪Tumors grew back at the surgical site in just 1% of patients who got GammaTile implants, versus 12% of those who got standard treatment.
• ▪A study involving 230 people showed that nearly two-thirds of those given GammaTile were alive two years later, compared with around a third of those who got standard radiation after surgery.
• ▪No large randomized trial had shown that GammaTile worked better than the traditional approach for brain metastases until this study.
• ▪The GammaTile study will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting on a weekend in late May or early June 2026.

Brain metastasis treatment landscape

• ▪Patients with brain metastases typically get tumors surgically removed and follow up with radiation therapy from a device outside of their body.
• ▪Between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with cancer so advanced it has spread to the brain.

Expert reaction

• ▪Dr. Molly Blau, a radiation oncologist at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, said the GammaTile survival difference is pretty astonishing.
• ▪Dr. Molly Blau said the GammaTile results could fuel conversations with surgeons at Fred Hutch Cancer Center about investing in a GammaTile program.

Perspective of Dr. Molly Blau, radiation oncologist at Fred Hutch Cancer Center

• ▪Dr. Molly Blau said the GammaTile survival difference is pretty astonishing.
• ▪Dr. Molly Blau said the GammaTile results could fuel conversations with surgeons at Fred Hutch Cancer Center about investing in a GammaTile program.

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