OPMC first in North Florida to provide innovative brain tumor treatment
Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Horowitz is the first in North Florida to complete a rare treatment available for brain cancer patients.
Orange Park Medical Center Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Horowitz is the first in North Florida to complete a rare treatment available for brain cancer patients. The 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 North Florida,” said Dr. Michael Horowitz, Board Certified and Fellowship trained Endovascular Neurosurgeon at Orange Park Medical Center. “Orange Park Medical Center is forward thinking and constantly evaluating new technology and procedures to improve the health of their community.”
The rare procedure is only available at four hospitals in the state of Florida, including Orange Park Medical Center.
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.