Health briefs 10/9/03

Medical clinic joins diabetes collaborative

Cross Trails Medical Clinic has joined a national program that will focus on the needs of diabetic patients. The program will start at the Marble Hill location and includes a focus on 100 patients. It will be expanded to all diabetic patients at the Advance and Cape Girardeau clinics later.

The program, organized through the Bureau of Primary Health Care and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is part of a national effort to help improve the health of poor people with chronic diseases.

The diabetes collaborative will give patients a chance to meet their doctor every 91 days to talk specifically about their illness and any related complications. They will also get a comprehensive foot exam, and meet with a dental hygeniest as well as a diabetic eductor.

For information about the collaborative, contact the medical center at 238-2725.

Radiation treatment offered for brain tumors

A Southern Illinois woman was the first patient in Missouri to receive radiation treatment for a brain tumor while remaining awake during the procedure.

The procedure, which administers a dose of radiation directly to the tumor, let Eileen Cruse of Anna, Ill., stay alert during the surgery. The procedure was performed Monday at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Dr. Joseph Miller, director of Radiation Oncology at the hospital's Regional Cancer Center, administered the radiation using the GliaSite Radiation Therapy System. The device treats malignant brain tumors by delivering radiation within the space created after the tumor is surgically removed.

Dr. Scott Gibbs, a neurosurgeon, removed Cruse's tumor over the summer and implanted the radiation catheter in her brain at that time.

When the surgery was first performed, Cruse thought she'd have to go to Chicago for follow-up treatment. But Southeast Missouri Hospital recently got permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to perform the GliaSite procedure as an outpatient service.

The procedure took about 30 minutes. Miller drew out the saline from the catheter in Cruse's brain and filled the cavity with a liquid radioactive fluid that will deliver radiation to the perimeter of her tumor. After five days, she'll return to the hospital to have the liquid removed.

The new treatment helps spare the healthy brain tissue while targeting the area of the tumor, said Miller.

"It's very easy on the patient," he said. "It's just a needle stick."

Most malignant brain tumors recur in a short period of time and treatment is usually limited.

Radiation treatment is usually only effective at suppressing the tumor's regrowth but often risks damage to the healthy brain tissue.

--From staff reports