Israeli Hospital Performs New Alpha Radiation Treatment for Recurring Brain Tumors

More than in any other industry, innovation in medicine can literally be a matter of saving lives. As medicine advances, so do the chances to treat previously untreatable disease, and to make a significant mark on the world. 

As of now, glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, is nearly untreatable. But thanks to an innovative new treatment first pioneered at Hadassah Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, the day when glioblastoma may be a thing of the past is a bit nearer. According to a press release from the hospital, the new treatment uses a very efficient and super localized type of radiation to target the tumors without damaging the healthy brain tissue around it. 

Glioblastoma is, unfortunately, a very deadly disease. Even after surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the cancer reoccurs in the majority of patients. The median survival rate after having been diagnosed with the disease is only 12 to 18 months, and only 5 to 7 percent of patients live to five years after treatment. It is a truly devastating type of cancer. 

New Alpha DaRT Technology
It is against this background, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Hadassah University Medical Center’s Sharrett Institute of Oncology, together with ALPHA Tau, a medical innovation company, have developed a way to treat the aggressive brain tumor using technology called Alpha DaRT. 

This technology was recently used as part of an ongoing clinical trial, for the first time ever in Israel, on a 77 year old man with recurrent glioblastoma. He had previously undergone surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and yet, the cancer returned. 

Alpha DaRT is innovative in that unlike other types of radiation, it is able to deliver concentrated radiation to the tumor without damaging the healthy tissue around it. It is able to do that with  radiation sources that are simultaneously injected into the brain tumor via two pathways. This allows for extreme accuracy and full coverage of the tumor at the same time. There is also some evidence to suggest that Alpha DaRT also stimulates an immune response to the tumor in other areas of the brain. 

One Navigation System
Another advantage of Alpha DaRT is that it uses already existing technology. The navigation system that is used by neurosurgeons to perform biopsies and other surgeries every day is the same navigation system that is used in Alpha DaRT treatments to place the radiation sources. This means that the treatment is precise, local, and most importantly, minimally invasive. One less terrifying and disruptive surgery can mean so much to a patient who has already gone through endless treatment. 

Alpha DaRT is a testament to teamwork, experience, and innovative thinking.  Professor Aron Popovtser, the director of the Sharrett Institute of Oncology told the Jerusalem Post: “Patients with recurrent disease currently have very limited treatment options…. A combination of research, clinical experience, and multidisciplinary collaboration is the only way to advance new treatments for these patients.” 

Innovation is often the result of creative thinking applied to already existing technologies. Alpha DaRT uses relatively old technology to get new results, and could be the key to a cure for so many patients who have lost hope.