St. Luke’s University Health Network is said to be the first in the region to offer a new laser procedure that uses minimally invasive MRI-guided laser technology to target and destroy cancerous brain tumors.

Visualase, an MRI-guided laser ablation system by Medtronic, enables neurosurgeons to deliver laser energy though a hole with a diameter approximately the size of a coffee stirrer. The precision of the technology, also known as laser interstitial thermal therapy, allows the laser to destroy the tumor while minimizing harm to surrounding tissue.

“This is an exciting breakthrough in the treatment of brain cancer,” said Hugh Moulding, MD, PhD, Chief of St. Luke’s Department of Neurosurgery and Clinical Director of the St. Luke’s Brain and Spine Tumor Center. “We are now able to treat tumors previously considered inoperable because the accuracy of laser technology allows us to reach lesions deep into the brain and even near sensitive areas.” Dr. Moulding is the only physician in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas performing the procedure, according to St. Luke’s.

“MRI-guided laser ablation is often the best hope for patients due to the lesion’s location or because the patient has already exhausted other treatment options,” said Moulding. “For example, radiosurgery, a type of radiation therapy, is an effective treatment of brain lesions, however, using radiosurgery to treat a recurring tumor greatly increases the risk of complications from radiation.”

Moulding recently recommended the procedure to Angela Thomas, a 48-year-old wife and mother of two teenagers. Thomas was diagnosed with melanoma, and then brain cancer, about two years ago. She received various types of cancer treatments. When a tumor previously treated with radiosurgery began to regrow, Moulding scheduled the laser ablation procedure. She received the treatment May 26 at St. Luke’s University Hospital, Fountain Hill.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but the treatment went very well,” said Thomas of Forksville, Sullivan County, about three hours north of Easton. “It was much simpler than I expected.”

To prepare a patient for the treatment, Moulding drills a small hole in the skull. Then, the laser applicator and cooling catheter are precisely placed into the tumor. The patient is then taken to the MRI suite to confirm placement of the laser. As a safeguard, Moulding delivers a low-power test pulse. During the treatment, the laser power is increased and while the laser is activated, special MRI images are converted to thermal maps and damage zone estimates. These provide Moulding with precise feedback in real time. He uses these to manage the laser’s delivery of light energy to the target area as the tumor is heated and destroyed.

Immediately after therapy, Moulding reviews additional MRI images to verify that the treated area matched the patient’s surgical goal.

“Due to the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, patients are discharged within a day of their procedure, much sooner than patients who have had traditional, open surgery,” Moulding said. “Also, laser ablation patients report experiencing fewer side effects than those receiving open surgery.”

Thomas had no side effects. “I didn’t even have a headache,” she said. “My entire family was very anxious before the procedure so the first thing I did after surgery was to call my kids. I face-timed them so they could see that I was fine.”

Also, because the entry level is so small, the procedure leaves little or no noticeable scarring or loss of hair. “The spot healed within two weeks,” said Thomas. “I took it easy for three weeks and then I was back to normal.”