Press release
Neurosurgery at the H.U.B: LITT technology confirms its clinical impact and opens the way to new indications in Belgium.
One year after the first procedures using the technology of MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) to treat refractory epilepsies and certain brain tumours, the teams at the Department of Neurosurgery at the Brussels University Hospital (H.U.B) are today able to show particularly encouraging results and announce the next steps for 2026.
A new hope for inaccessible brain lesions
LITT is a minimally invasive and recognised technique that makes it possible to target with extreme precision deep brain zones that were previously inaccessible to conventional surgery. By introducing an optical fibre into the lesion, this laser makes it possible to burn the diseased tissue while checking, second by second using MRI, that the temperature remains under control in surrounding tissue. This is a treatment option for patients for whom, until recently, there was no alternative.
LITT is currently making rapid progress in North America and chosen as the first line treatment option for certain epilepsies that are resistant to treatment, in particular in children, for whom open surgery was associated with a clearly increased risk of sequelae. In addition to its effectiveness, patients also appreciate the comfort of the procedure that does not require any large opening of the skull and permits earlier discharge from hospital and return to active life than for conventional surgical options.
The H.U.B: A pioneer in neuro-oncology
Although the first procedure by the neurosurgery teams was on a patient with a refractory epilepsy, the H.U.B is also very much a pioneer and the only hospital to propose the use of MRI-guided laser thermo-ablation in neuro-oncology in Belgium. Whether treating benign or malignant tumours, in adults or children, LITT opens up the possibility of treatment for certain deep brain lesions. Thanks to its non-invasive nature, it is also an effective alternative for patients who have already undergone cancer treatment and who in this way can be spared further heavy surgery.
This initial treatment by LITT also opens the way to new scientific research combining the oncology, neurosurgical and paediatric expertise of the Jules Bordet Institute, the Erasmus Hospital and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital (HUDERF) within the H.U.B.
This therapeutic and scientific progress confirms the central role of the H.U.B in introducing and developing innovative neurosurgical procedures in Belgium.
Highly encouraging clinical results
Since the introduction of LITT, 5 patients with a refractory epilepsy and 6 patients with a brain tumour have been operated on at the H.U.B. Most of these patients were able to return home either the day after treatment or the day after that. Of the epileptic patents treated, they are all currently free of epileptic fits or have shown a marked improvement following the treatment
“The millimetric precision of LITT enables us to target the lesion while conserving the neurological functions to a maximum. It gives certain previously incurable epileptic patients the hope of again living a normal life, free of fits and without sequelae,” Dr Sophie Schuind, neurosurgeon specialising in epilepsy surgery and LITT at the H.U.B
As to cancer patients, thanks to this treatment they have benefited from prolonged local monitoring of their tumour. In most cases chemotherapy is, however, also required when the tumour is infiltrating and recurrent so as to prevent or slow progression in zones not treated by the laser.
The positioning of LITT in relation to other anti-cancer treatment strategies needs to be refined in the future and this reflection is being rigorously pursued, drawing on the expertise of the Jules Bordet Institute, the H.U.B’s pole of excellence in treating cancer.
“The introduction of LITT in neuro-oncology opens a new way forward for patients with deep tumours. Our collaboration aims to offer an integrated pathway so as to deliver genuinely innovative treatment at the right time to the right patient,” Dr. Mehdi Yahia-Cherif, neurosurgeon specialising in neuro-oncology at the H.U.B.
These clinical successes are of course causing the H.U.B to consider extending the field of application of LITT to include new indications, including in paediatrics. Some residual or recurrent tumours could be targeted by laser so as to spare young children the trauma of further surgery.
These new treatment prospects, in oncology, paediatrics or epilepsy, will of course be associated with scientific research projects at the H.U.B, in close cooperation with Brussels Free University (ULB), but also in the framework of major international studies.
A unique capacity in Belgium
The H.U.B is today the only centre in Belgium with continuous access to LITT and that permits patients from throughout the country to benefit from it in a way that is both operational and structured. This continuity stems from three determining factors:
- An integrated technological platform, consisting of an acquired LITT system, the laser fibres essential for its use and continuous and compatible high resolution MRI.
- A dedicated multidisciplinary team (neurosurgery, neurology, interventional radiology, anaesthetics, physicists, neurosciences), trained and experienced in carrying out these complex procedures.
- A coordinated care pathway in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology and adult and child neurology.
“LITT today enables us to intervene in regions of the brain where conventional surgery was not possible, even in children! For some patients this is the difference between the total absence of a solution and the prospect of stabilisation, control of symptoms and a return to active life. Our responsibility now is to make this technology accessible to the greatest number,” Prof. Olivier De Witte, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the H.U.B.
A major public health issue: reimbursement in Belgium.
Despite these results LITT is still not reimbursed in Belgium. This limits patients’ access to a technology that is recognised in Europe and internationally. Together with other university hospitals, the H.U.B is taking steps to have the Belgian authorities recognise the medical impact, clinical effectiveness and socio-economic benefits of LITT, principally for epileptogenic lesions inaccessible by other means.
The fact that the H.U.B is the only Belgian hospital to currently possess this technology is solely due to the support from the Erasmus Fund and the Jules Bordet Association and their generous donors. Philanthropic donations and sponsorships play an essential role in accelerating access to this innovation, treating more patients and permitting leading edge scientific research on LITT as well as many other innovative projects.
“Every donation contributes directly to widening access to this leading edge technology and to reducing the number of patients who still today are denied access due to a lack of resources. In supporting LITT you are supporting a more inclusive, more precise and more equitable medicine. It is about giving patients a real chance where previously they had none,” Cécile Van Parijs, Head of the Erasmus Fund.
“For more than 50 years the Jules Bordet Association has been funding research at the Bordet Institute, Belgium’s leading centre in the fight against cancer. Funding innovative projects relating to the use of LITT for patients with an inoperable brain tumour is part of this mission in the service of the sick. It is also in keeping with cancer research within the Brussels University Hospital of which the Bordet Institute is now a part,” Ariane Cambier, Head of the Jules Bordet Association.
Marine Lhomel
Frédérique Meeus