Hospital offers new radiation treatment for brain tumors

A Southern Illinois woman was the first patient in Missouri to receive radiation treatment for a brain tumor while remaining awake during the procedure.

The procedure, which administers a dose of radiation directly to the tumor, let Eileen Cruse of Anna, Ill., stay alert during the surgery. The procedure was performed Monday at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Dr. Joseph Miller, director of Radiation Oncology at the hospital's Regional Cancer Center, administered the radiation using the GliaSite Radiation Therapy System. The device treats malignant brain tumors by delivering radiation within the space created after the tumor is surgically removed.

Dr. Scott Gibbs, a neurosurgeon, removed Cruse's tumor over the summer and implanted the radiation catheter in her brain at that time.

When the surgery was first performed, Cruse thought she'd have to go to Chicago for follow-up treatment. But Southeast Missouri Hospital recently got permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to perform the GliaSite procedure as an outpatient service.

The procedure took about 30 minutes. Miller drew out the saline from the catheter in Cruse's brain and filled the cavity with a liquid radioactive fluid that will deliver radiation to the perimeter of her tumor. After five days, she'll return to the hospital to have the liquid removed.

The new treatment helps spare the healthy brain tissue while targeting the area of the tumor, said Miller.

"It's very easy on the patient," he said. "It's just a needle stick."

Most malignant brain tumors recur in a short period of time and treatment is usually limited. Radiation treatment is usually only effective at suppressing the tumor's regrowth but often risks damage to the healthy brain tissue.