GK Financing LLC, a Subsidiary of American Shared Hospital Services, Acknowledges 20th Anniversary of First Patient Treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Peru

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – (NewMediaWire) – October 2, 2023 – GK Financing LLC (GKF), a subsidiary of American Shared Hospital Services (NYSE American: AMS), a leading provider of creative financial and turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgery services and owner of International Gamma Knife Cancer Centers (IGKP) , announced today that Dr. Aldo Berti, Medical Director of IGKP in Lima, Peru,  hosted a grand event to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the first patient to be treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery Surgery in Peru by inviting expert clinicians from Lima and surrounding provinces to share in this momentous event. The celebration was held at “La Tiendecita Blanca” on September 28, 2023.

Dr. Aldo Berti, Medical Director of IGKP, has been treating patients successfully on Gamma Knife technology for the last 29 years and including since 2017, at IGKP, which has treated nearly 800 patients since the Center opened in 2017. He and his team have been providing a much gentler option for patients having brain cancer, AVMs or functional disorders in a non-invasive and non-surgical fashion.

Dr. Berti stated, “It is with great honor and pleasure that I am able to be part of this 20-year anniversary where we reflected and talked about the history and evolution of radiosurgery in Peru, including a discussion on  the new Gamma Knife Esprit that will soon be installed and available to treat patients.  This will be the first Gamma Knife Esprit in Peru and possibly in South America as well.”

Gamma Knife® radiosurgery is a gentler alternative to open surgery and conventional radiotherapy as it can target the smallest and most challenging intracranial tumors and lesions with minimal effect on healthy tissue. This vital precision safeguards motor, sensory and neurocognitive function to help protect the mind and the person.  After locating tumors, specially trained neurosurgeons focus beams of radiation from the Gamma Knife Esprit directly to the affected area for non-invasive treatment, with minimal effect on healthy tissue. Patients can return home the same day and resume their normal activities within days.

Esprit includes a variety of innovations that are now available in a single platform and offers clinicians several new clinical features that are not available in Gamma Knife Perfexion. Esprit offers both frameless (masked-based immobilization) and frame-based workflows with the new Vantage Headframe that provides superior visualization. The Esprit also has advanced on-board CT Imaging allowing for same-day imaging and treatment and the newest Lightening Planning system that offers  faster treatment planning and remote treatment planning/viewing. All of these features work together to increase and improve workflow efficiency while utilizing remote accessibility and collaboration tools designed to meet the needs of changing environments.

With its focus on making the best healthcare technology accessible to patients and supporting healthcare equity for all, GKF will have a booth at this year’s American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting to be held in San Diego, CA on October 1-4, 2023.  This is a great opportunity for attendees to visit with the GKF team to discuss the many creative financial and turnkey solutions that can be offered to key decision makers, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, medical physicists, and departmental administrators to educate and inform attendees on how GKF can help them obtain the latest radiosurgery medical treatment devices with no capital outlay.  

Peter Gaccione, Board Member of Instituto de Gamma Knife del Pacifico SAC, added, “We are extremely pleased that for the past 6 years our Cancer Treatment Center in Lima, Peru has been able to offer patients an advanced non-invasive Radiosurgery treatment alternative other than surgery.  And we’re excited that now, when the newest Gamma Knife Esprit is installed, we will be able to offer even more clinical treatment benefits at our Center to patients in Peru and surrounding countries.”

About Instituto de Gamma Knife del Pacifico SAC (IGKP)

In July 2017, Instituto Gamma Knife del Pacífico opened its doors and started operations, offering Peru’s first Gamma Knife equipment for intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery treatments. Since then, it has provided the most precise and timely treatment to nearly 800 Peruvian patients with brain disorders, thanks to a select group of specialized professionals.

The results obtained have been and continue to be encouraging, in many cases eliminating the risk of mortality and in others improving the quality of life. The experience lived with our patients over the years motivates us to continue with the same spirit with which IGKP was started.

Today, as we reaffirm our commitment to the pursuit of therapeutic excellence, we are excited about the acquisition of Gamma Knife’s most state-of-the-art equipment: Esprit.

About GK Financing, LLC

GK Financing, LLC, a subsidiary of American Shared Hospital Services in partnership with Elekta, provides creative financial and turnkey technology solutions for the Gamma Knife system.  GKF is the world leader in providing Gamma Knife radiosurgery equipment, a non‑invasive treatment for malignant and benign brain tumors, vascular malformations, and trigeminal neuralgia (facial pain).  GKF offers creative payment models such as pay per treatment, payment on percentage of revenue collected, and even joint venture models.  GKF provides full project management for the entire project with no capital outlay in a risk sharing model.

For more information, please visit: www.gkfinancingllc.com.

About American Shared Hospital Services

American Shared Hospital Services (ASHS) is a leading provider of creative financial and turnkey solutions to Cancer Treatment Centers, hospitals, and large cancer networks worldwide.  The company works closely with all major global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that provide leading edge clinical treatment systems and software to treat cancer using Radiation Therapy and Radiosurgery. The company is vendor agnostic and provides financial support for a wide range of products including MR Guided Radiation Therapy Linacs, Advanced Digital Linear Accelerators, Proton Beam Therapy Systems, Brachytherapy systems and suites, and through the Company’s subsidiary, GK Financing LLC., the Leksell Gamma Knife product and services. For more information, please visit: www.ashs.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may be deemed to contain certain forward‑looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and future plans of GK Financing and American Shared Hospital Services (including statements regarding the expected continued growth in volume of the, expansion of the Company’s business, and the timing of treatments by new Gamma Knife systems) which involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risks of variability of financial results between quarters, the risks of the Gamma Knife and radiation therapy businesses, and the risks of the timing, financing, and operations of the Company  business.  Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial condition, results of operations and future plans of American Shared Hospital Services is included in the filings of the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10‑K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and the definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.