IsoRay announces first cesium-131 mesh treatment for meningiomas

If you haven’t read about this newly announced treatment for meningioma, here’s a snippet from the press release: “IsoRay Inc., a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy and medical radioisotope applications, today announced another milestone in the treatment of brain tumors using its groundbreaking Cesium-131 (Cs-131) seed sutured mesh for internal radiation therapy. Dr. Kris Alan Smith, surgeon and Medical Director, Gamma Knife Center, supported by Dr. David G. Brachman, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center, Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, performed the world's first Cesium-131 brachytherapy seed sutured mesh implant on a female patient suffering from a recurring meningioma tumor”.

What was more interesting to me was that “The Cesium-131 brachytherapy sutured mesh implant was performed on a female patient suffering from her fourth reoccurrence of a meningioma. The sutured mesh was placed over the resected tumor at the time of surgery to provide immediate radiation therapy to the entire tumor bed and margins, which is aimed at preventing tumor reoccurrence. While the patient's tumor had previously reoccurred as early as 6 weeks following her prior treatments with external beam radiation, now, at 90 days after treatment with Cesium-131 seed sutured mesh, there is no sign of tumor reoccurrence.”

As somebody who has had “external beam radiation” and is worried about reoccurrence, I found this interesting reading and something I will ask my excellent neurosurgeon about should the need arrive.

Here’s a link to the rest of the press release: http://medicalphysicsweb.org/cws/article/newsfeed/49881