First at Sharp: New laser brain procedure provides relief

When Bill Loeber told his friends he was going to have brain surgery, he was surprised to find they were more worried than he was — especially when he explained that he was going to be the first patient at Sharp HealthCare to get an advanced new brain procedure.

“People got so scared for me, but it turned out to be so easy,” he reflects. “It was amazing to me how quickly and painlessly they could make a tiny hole in my skull and take care of the problem.”

A troublesome spread

Bill had dealt with basal cell carcinomas — the most common form of skin cancer — throughout his life. The lesions were frozen off during his treatments. However, in 2021, he noticed some swelling under his arm.

Bill mentioned the change to his primary care doctor, who recommended further testing. That led to a referral to an oncologist who gave Bill the diagnosis — a much more dangerous form of skin cancer called melanoma, which had spread to his lymph nodes.

“At 70 years old, I’d always been pretty healthy, so I wasn’t too worried at the time,” Bill says.

Bill was treated with immunotherapy and radiation, and he had surgery to remove the lymph nodes. “I felt I beat cancer,” Bill recalls.

However, his doctors warned him that melanoma is tricky. They planned to watch for any signs it was coming back. Bill continued to get regular screenings and MRIs.

A new concern

In 2025, one of those routine MRIs spotted something that raised concern. There appeared to be a lesion on Bill’s brain.

“I give Sharp a lot of credit for keeping such a close eye on me because I never felt anything wrong,” Bill says. “Had they not kept up with those screenings, they wouldn’t have caught it.”

Follow-up imaging showed the lesion was growing. The doctors explained that it was possible the lesion was scar tissue caused by the radiation treatments. This could lead to symptoms including headaches and seizures.

Alternatively, the lesion could be a tumor.

They laid out options for Bill to consider, including waiting and observing the lesion to see whether it would continue to grow and cause symptoms. Another option was traditional brain surgery to remove the lesion.

There was also a new alternative, they said. And Bill could be a good candidate.

Minimally invasive, maximal results

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) uses a small laser fiber inserted into the brain to burn the lesion. First used as a treatment for epilepsy, it’s only in the last decade that research has shown it could be a good tool for treating brain tumors.

Bill would be the first patient to have the LITT procedure at Sharp.

“Laser treatment is much safer for patients than traditional brain surgery,” says Dr. Vamsi Chavakula, Bill’s surgeon, who is with Sharp Community Medical Group. “Instead of needing to make a big cut into the skull to insert the tools to remove a tumor, all we need is a tiny hole to insert the fiber. Robotic-assistance systems help minimize the risk of damage to surrounding brain tissue.”

According to Dr. Chavakula, LITT can reach brain tumors that previously would have been considered inoperable.

Bill asked his doctors several questions, including whether he could first get a biopsy of the lesion to determine if it’s cancerous. Dr. Chavakula explained that with laser treatment, they can do a biopsy while the lesion is destroyed, eliminating the need to have two separate brain procedures. If the biopsy turns out to be positive, Bill could quickly start additional treatments to prevent the cancer from spreading.

“Despite being the first patient, it was apparent to me that the benefits of LITT carried far less risk than a bigger brain surgery,” Bill says. “So, I decided to move forward.”

The news he was hoping for

The procedure took place in December 2025 at Sharp Memorial Hospital. For Bill, it felt quite uneventful.

“I wasn’t anxious,” Bill says. “I fell asleep and woke up a few hours later feeling nothing unusual but a bit of a sore throat from the breathing tube and two tiny stitches in my right temple. I went home the next day and felt just fine!”

Bill felt even better shortly after, when he got the news that not only was the lesion destroyed, but the biopsy also confirmed that it was scar tissue rather than a tumor.

Dr. Chavakula is excited about what treatments such as LITT will mean for his patients. “Now we can offer therapy to patients that we previously had to tell we couldn’t help. I love that, at Sharp, we provide the most advanced technologies and are always looking to push the envelope for what we can offer.”

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