Memorial Health First in Region to Provide Innovative Brain Tumor Treatment
New Brain Tumor Therapy Gives Patients Hope and More Time
Savannah, Georgia (October 14, 2021) – Memorial Health neurosurgeon Dr. Daniel Suh is the first in southeast Georgia to perform a rare treatment available for brain cancer patients. GammaTile Therapy, a surgically implanted radiation therapy, is the insertion of tiny tiles into the brain to delay the regrowth of a brain tumor. The small tiles provide targeted radiation, limiting the damage to healthy tissue surrounding the cancer. The unique radiation treatment also reduces side effects such as brain damage or hair loss and the amount of radiation exposure to those close to the patient.
“It’s an honor to have performed the first surgery in southeast Georgia,” said Suh, board-certified neurosurgeon at Memorial Health. “Memorial Health is forward thinking and constantly evaluating new technology and procedures to improve the health of our community.”
The GammaTile procedure is now available at three hospitals in Georgia, including Memorial Health.
During a tumor removal surgery, the tiles are placed at the tumor site. Similar to the size of a postage stamp, the tiles immediately begin killing cancer cells. The radiation process lasts approximately six weeks and the tiles are naturally resorbed by the body.
Prior to this new treatment option, brain cancer patients would undergo a standard tumor removal surgery, followed by several weeks of up to 30 treatments of radiation and chemotherapy.
To learn more about brain cancer treatment services at Memorial Health, visit https://memorialhealth.com/specialties/brain-cancer.
Memorial Health provides the region’s only Level I trauma center for the most acute illnesses and injuries, as well as dedicated children’s, cancer and heart hospitals to serve a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes its flagship hospital – Memorial Health University Medical Center - a 645-bed academic medical center; Memorial Health University Physicians’ primary and specialty care networks; a major medical education program and a 24-hour nurse call center. Memorial Health is a part of the HCA Healthcare family, the largest provider of care in the United States and the UK.