Laser-Guided Therapy to Kill Brain Tumor Cells With Heat

Even after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, many brain tumors appear frustratingly unresponsive to treatment. Part of the trouble is that malignancies can be very difficult to reach with conventional therapy. A novel fiber-optic laser that employs heat therapy may provide unprecedented access to previously unresectable tumors, as well as added ability to focus heat directly on the tumor cells. Dr. Gene Barnett, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center, explores what the future may hold for this intriguing experimental technique with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill.