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Updated: Dec 9, 2025
An Immunocompetent Murine Model for Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy of Glioblastoma
Published on: November 15, 2024
[Laser ablation of brain tumors now available in the Nordic countries]
Jiri Bartek1, Annika Kits2, Margret Jensdottir3
1specialistläkare, PhD, , Neurokirurgi, Karolinska universitetssjukhuset Solna, Stockholm.
Abstract:
Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) is used to treat patients with intracranial lesions such as epileptogenic foci, radiation necrosis, cavernomas and brain tumors in the United States. The approval for this treatment in Europe has first been granted in 2018, with the first treatment(s) in the Nordic countries - in the form of 3 brain tumor patients - performed at the Karolinska University Hospital in 2019. In this article we briefly describe our initial experience in the context of current literature.
Insights
Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) offers a minimally invasive treatment for brain conditions like tumors. Initial Nordic treatments in 2019 at Karolinska University Hospital show promising early results for brain tumor patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Oncology
- Neurology
Background:
- Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) is an established treatment in the US for various intracranial lesions.
- European approval for LITT was granted in 2018.
- The Karolinska University Hospital performed the first LITT procedures in the Nordic region in 2019.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the initial clinical experience with Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) in the Nordic countries.
- To present the outcomes of the first LITT treatments performed for brain tumors in the region.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of initial LITT procedures.
- Focus on treatments performed at Karolinska University Hospital.
- Contextualization within existing literature.
Main Results:
- Successful application of LITT in 3 brain tumor patients.
- Demonstration of initial feasibility and application in the Nordic setting.
Conclusions:
- LITT represents a viable treatment option for intracranial lesions in the Nordic region.
- The initial experience supports the use of LITT for brain tumors.
- Further research and broader application are warranted.
