Groundbreaking cancer treatment for heart condition

A medical breakthrough could change the lives of some heart patients.

Doctors have performed a groundbreaking procedure using radiation therapy, typically reserved for cancer treatment, to cure a life-threatening heart condition.

Shannon Brooks’ heart issues began with a heart attack at age 37. A defibrillator and ablation procedure kept his heart going strong for another 18 years, but at 55 years old, Brooks went into cardiac arrest.

“Definitely almost lost his life a few times there with this, with his heart,” said Jen Brooks, Shannon’s wife. “They knew that they needed to do the ablation, but they were so worried about how weak his heart was.”

“By the time they’re having this problem, refractory ventricular tachycardia, they’ve been through all the standard treatments and they don’t have a lot of options,” said Dr. Grant Hunter, Radiation Oncologist at Intermountain Health.

The only option Brooks appeared to have was a heart transplant, but Doctor Hunter had another option, a procedure so new that Brooks would only be the second patient in Utah to get it: stereotactic radiotherapy is a standard cancer treatment, but a new option for treating his heart arrhythmia.

“We can do it in a non-invasive way. They just come to an out-patient facility, they sit in a chair for 15 minutes, they get the therapy, they get up, they walk out,” said Dr. Michael Cutler from Intermountain Health.

Brooks went home that same day, grateful and amazed that such a quick and painless procedure spared him from invasive surgery and the long, painful recovery that would’ve come with a heart transplant.

“I think what it’s really done is give me confidence to be able to be okay and know that I’m okay,” Brooks said.

Brooks said before the 15-minute procedure was even over, he was already starting to feel better, and another great advantage is that there are few if any, short-term side effects.

Because it is so new, there is no data to show what will happen long term.