If you know anyone who has ever had brain cancer or cared for a brain cancer patient, you know this is a very tough situation. Depending on the type of tumor, the prognosis is often very pessimistic.
Lasers have been used to treat cancers since the seventies, but brain surgery is always risky. The idea of using heat to "cook" a tumor is not something people find easy to embrace. Is this changing with the AutoLITT system developed by Monteris, a Canadian company?
This technology is being used to treat gioblastomas and other difficult-to-treat brain cancers, especially helpful for high-risk patients. It's minimally invasive and pain-free. Many patients are up and walking less than 24 hours after treatment.
This new treatment for brain tumors was approved for use in 2009. There are reportedly almost a dozen hospitals in the country that currently offer the technology. Among them are the Smilow Cancer Center (Yale-New Haven), the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Monteris just secured $9 million in new financing, offering hope to many cancer families that their loved ones may have access to the AutoLITT treatment. As more and more doctors are trained to use the system, patients will have more and better options, even when their brain tumors are untreatable by more conventional means.
If you or a loved one have a brain tumor that has not been successfully treated, AutoLITT may make a difference in cancer management. Some patients may gain only six months, while others gain years. It's not always easy to predict the success rate. Sometimes hanging in there means you live to fight another day. When the tide turns, it's important to be there and take advantage of the opportunities. The good times are what help you to ride out the bad. That's what cancer management is all about -- part hope, part patient advocacy, part persistence. Quality of life is always important, and the AutoLITT system seems to work with that concept.
If you feel that you or your loved one can benefit from treatment, don't hesitate to find out more. Tackle the issue head on and get the facts. It may or may not fit the needs of your family situation, but if it does, it's worth considering when all else has failed.
If you want more information about Monteris and its AutoLITT system, check out their website:
http://www.monteris.com/
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