GT Medical Technologies, Inc. presented promising interim results from a multi-institutional study at ASTRO 2023, reinforcing the effectiveness and safety of GammaTile Therapy for recurrent brain metastases. The study involved 48 patients from 14 U.S. sites and reported no adverse radiation effects during follow-ups. Additional clinical studies from leading institutions further supported GammaTile’s local control benefits for recurrent brain metastases. Since its FDA clearance in 2018, GammaTile Therapy has positively impacted over 1,000 patients with operable brain tumors, offering a more convenient alternative to traditional radiation therapy. Brain metastasis cases are increasing, likely due to improved systemic disease treatments like immunotherapy.
GT Medical Technologies, Inc. unveiled preliminary findings from a multi-institutional study that reinforce the growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of GammaTile Therapy for patients grappling with brain tumors, specifically recurrent brain metastases. These findings were presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO 2023), currently taking place in San Diego, CA.
The study, titled “Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) for Brain Metastases: Initial Experience from a Prospective Multi-institutional Registry,” was delivered by Dr. David Brachman, MD, who serves as the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at GT Medical Technologies.
According to the data presented, as of this interim analysis, 48 patients across 14 U.S. medical centers had undergone treatment with GammaTile. This treatment, administered immediately after surgical removal of brain tumors, delivers radiation precisely to the affected areas. Remarkably, none of the patients experienced adverse effects attributable to the radiation during follow-up assessments, conducted on average four months post-surgery. GammaTile, classified as Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT), is designed for patients with newly diagnosed malignant intracranial neoplasms, as well as those with recurrent intracranial neoplasms, encompassing both primary and metastatic tumors, whether benign or malignant.
Dr. Brachman expressed gratitude to the medical professionals and patients who contributed to this nationwide registry study, emphasizing that this emerging scientific data reinforces the significant impact of GammaTile Therapy on local control for patients contending with brain metastases. He highlighted that this adds to the already compelling evidence indicating the effectiveness and safety of GammaTile for individuals with brain tumors.
Dr. Rupesh Kotecha, MD, lead study author and Chief of Radiosurgery for the Department of Radiation Oncology at Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida, also shared enthusiasm about the initial interim results, highlighting that GammaTile brachytherapy was not only feasible but had a median implantation time of just 3 minutes, and no patients experienced radiation-related adverse effects.
Furthermore, GT Medical Technologies disclosed that in addition to the ASTRO Annual Meeting presentation, three recently published clinical studies conducted at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center, Barrow Neurological Institute, and Miami Cancer Institute further underscore the enduring local control achieved with GammaTile in treating recurrent brain metastases.
Among these studies, Miami Cancer Institute’s findings, published on September 16, 2023, in Brachytherapy, stood out. They revealed that GammaTile outperformed the initial course of external beam radiotherapy in terms of local control for operable recurrent brain metastases. The research indicated a high local control rate, minimal surgical complications, and a low risk of radiation necrosis associated with GammaTile in the reirradiation setting.
Since receiving FDA clearance in 2018 for recurrent brain tumors, followed by clearance in 2020 for newly diagnosed brain tumors, GammaTile Therapy has benefited over 1,000 individuals with operable brain tumors, as reported by the company during ASTRO 2023.
This FDA-cleared treatment, GammaTile Therapy, is a Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) designed for patients undergoing brain tumor removal surgery, whether for newly diagnosed malignant tumors or recurrent cases. It eliminates the need for one to six weeks of daily external beam radiation therapy, enabling patients to resume their daily lives without the burden of frequent hospital or clinic visits for ongoing treatment. The announcement of the latest interim findings also highlighted that since its full market release in the United States in March 2020, GammaTile has been offered in more than 95 hospitals, with additional centers continuously joining the initiative. GT Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical technology company headquartered in Tempe, AZ, was founded by a team of brain tumor specialists.
The incidence of brain metastases is on the rise, with an estimated 98,000 to 170,000 cases reported annually. This increase is likely influenced by advancements in treatments such as immunotherapy, which are enabling patients with systemic metastatic disease to live longer.
