St. Francis
to offer alternative
brain-tumor treatment

Hospital first in isles offering
focused radiation treatment

By Jerry Tune
Star-Bulletin

St. Francis Medical Center has received state approval to offer a radiation treatment for brain tumors that offers powerful advantages over conventional open-skull surgery.

The Liliha medical center said it will be the first hospital in Hawaii to offer the "Gamma Knife" procedure, which uses beams of low-level, focused radiation to treat brain tumors.

The State Health Planning and Development Agency gave approval this week to set up the unit. St. Francis will use Gamma Knife services at its Mama Lau Cancer Care Center opening in October at the medical center.

"Compared to conventional neurosurgery (open-skull), Gamma Knife radiosurgery's benefits include a high degree of safety, reduced health risks, no general anesthesia, no incision, overnight hospitalization and significantly reduced costs," said John Schleif, executive assistant at St. Francis

The technology works by altering the DNA within the cells of the tumor or lesion so they can no longer reproduce, Schleif said.

"Rapidly growing tumors may disappear entirely in one or two months," he said. "Some patients with tumors once considered inoperable will be able to receive treatment."

He expects the Gamma Knife to be used for as many as 200 patients a year in Hawaii.

The average cost of Gamma Knife treatment, including procedure, fees and hospitalization, is about $35,000 compared with $50,000 for conventional treatment if there are no complications, he said.

"The patient remains conscious throughout the procedure and can often return to his or her normal lifestyle the following day," Schleif said.

"The first use of this will be for brain tumors and blood vessel malformations in the brain." Gamma Knife also can be used to treat the tremors of Parkinson's disease and psychiatric disorders like epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive dysfunction and severe headaches.

Gamma Knife has been used on more than 60,000 patients since 1968, but Schleif said, Hawaii neurosurgeons have been sending patients to the mainland for treatment, adding to the cost.

St. Francis was able to bring the $2.7 million Gamma Knife technology to Hawaii because of an agreement with NeuroTechnologies International Inc., a San Diego-based firm that develops and runs radiosurgical centers.

Schleif said that NeuroTechnologies will supply the equipment and lease space at a special lead-shielded room for the prodecure.

NeuroTechnologies and St. Francis will share in a percentage of the profits from the procedure.