Recent medical advancements in oncology care are enhancing outcomes for cancer patients. Optune, a new, leading-edge treatment for glioblastomas (GBM), is helping to pave the way, resulting in minimal side effects and better quality of life for those who receive it.
A group of Cancer Care Northwest (CCNW) physicians, Medical Oncologists Dr. Robert Gersh and Dr. Srivalli Gopaluni, and Radiation Oncologists Dr. Christopher Lee, Dr. Jason Call, Dr. Stephen Thatcher, Dr. Aaron Wagner, Dr. Robert Fairbanks, and Dr. Wayne Lamoreaux, are certified providers. Offering this new cutting-edge technology will enhance the quality of local medical care, and add another component to the cancer-fighting treatment array CCNW provides.
“Optune is a milestone for patients with GBM, a challenging and aggressive form of cancer. CCNW has established a multidisciplinary team approach, closely working with neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists to bring the latest advancements to the Inland Northwest. Although Optune is not a cure in treatment, it has shown to improve a patient’s overall survival by several months,” says Dr. Gopaluni.
Optune is a portable device that delivers treatment through ceramic discs within an adhesive bandage called “transducer arrays.” These discs are placed directly on the scalp, allowing the arrays to directly target the brain tumor. Optune then creates alternating “wave-like” electrical fields called Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) that travel across the upper part of the brain in different directions to help slow or stop GBM cancer cells from dividing.
“Optune has shown to improve cognitive function, quality of life, and helps patients establish a daily lifestyle outside of their illness. As it is patient operated, patients gain a sense of control over their illness and feel motivated to use it. It is always nice to see the field of oncology advance to a point where the latest technology, and its application, enables patients live a life as close to normal as possible .We are very excited for our patients,” says Dr. Gopaluni.
Cancer Care Northwest is currently the only oncology practice in the Inland Northwest to offer both the prescribing and planning of Optune for GBM’s.
For more information on Optune, please visit www.optune.com.
