PLYMOUTH, Minn. – Nov. 12, 2018 – Monteris Medical, a pioneer and leader in the emerging market for minimally invasive, image-guided laser ablation systems, announced that the favorable results of its LAASR (Laser Ablation After Stereotactic Radiosurgery) clinical study have been published in the Journal of Neurosurgery. A prospective, multi-center clinical study conducted by leading academic medical centers, LAASR confirmed the beneficial outcomes of Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) in a group of 42 patients with brain lesions that recurred following stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for metastatic brain tumors.1

The LAASR clinical study enrolled patients with brain lesions that recurred following stereotactic radiosurgery for metastatic brain cancer. The recurring lesions—which ranged in size from 0.4 cm3 to 38.6 cm3—were ablated with the Monteris Medical NeuroBlate® System. This patient population often has complex progressive medical issues and limited options, often leading to debilitating neurologic symptoms and deteriorating cognitive function causing progressive decline in their quality of life. The options for these patients, including open surgery and steroid drug therapy, may be limited and are often associated with high levels of morbidity. The LAASR study results demonstrated that the potential benefits of LITT for this patient population include stabilizing the quality of life and cognitive function of this challenging patient population. Additional benefits included reduced or eliminated steroid usage and short length of hospital stay. The study confirmed that LITT can be effective in controlling both recurrent brain metastases and radiation necrosis, as shown by the primary outcome results of the trial on progression-free survival (PFS) of 74 percent at last follow-up (12-26 weeks) and overall survival (OS) of 72 percent at 26 weeks. No unanticipated adverse events related to the device/procedure were seen. Neurological complications related to the LITT procedure were shown in 12 percent of the patients and included intracerebral hemorrhage, headache, and new or worsened neurological deficits such as motor weakness. The paper is available at www.monteris.com/LAASR.

Veronica L. Chiang, M.D., co-principal investigator, Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University, commented, "Given the side effect profile of alternative options for this patient population, the stabilization in the Karnofsky Performance Scale, preservation of quality of life, and reduction in steroid usage all represent positive outcomes of the LAASR study."

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