The technology, called GammaTile, is made by Tempe, Arizona-based GT Medical Technologies. After surgeons take out a brain tumor, they place small, absorbable tiles containing radioactive seeds into the space the tumor occupied. The radiation begins working immediately, targeting tumor cells that may remain after surgery.

Because the radiation is concentrated at the surgical site, doctors say the approach limits exposure to healthy brain tissue compared with conventional radiation delivered from outside the body.

“One of the real benefits of GammaTile is that radiation starts at the time of the surgery, and there’s no delay to starting that radiation,” said Dr. Brett Morris, a radiation oncologist at UW Health. “It allows patients to get on the next step of their treatment journey, whether it be systemic therapy or recovering from surgery and treatment in a more timely fashion.”

UW Health performed its first GammaTile procedure last month. The health system cautioned that the treatment is not appropriate for every patient with a brain tumor, and eligibility depends on the individual case.

The availability of the therapy in Madison expands the options for patients facing brain tumor surgery, who previously might have had to wait for external radiation to begin after recovering from an operation. Starting radiation during surgery could shorten the overall treatment timeline and allow patients to move more quickly to additional therapies or rehabilitation.

UW Health did not specify how many patients have received the treatment or which types of tumors it is being used for.