Doctors in Portugal have performed the world’s first cancer ‘operations’ that don’t require incisions.
Taking advantage of new technology that tackles tumours from the outside, doctors at Lisbon’s Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown are now offering a “fast, precise and non-invasive” treatment for lung, prostate and brain tumours.
One of the greatest boons of the new treatment is that it can be performed in double-quick time. For instance, radiosurgery for multiple tumours can take as little as 10 minutes, while five sessions can do as much for prostate cancer patients as 30-40 sessions of standard radiotherapy, writes the Wall Street Journal.
Dubbed Edge Radiotherapy, and devised by Varian Medical Systems, the new treatment is soon to be offered at other leading cancer centres around the world.
Champalimaud is thus simply the first to take it on. “We are delighted to be the first centre in the world to begin clinical treatments using Edge Radiosurgery,” Champalimaud’s Professor Carlo Greco told journalists last week.
“We believe the Edge Radiosurgery system offers more options for clinicians and will prove to be an effective tool for effectively performing cancer surgery with no knife,” added Rolf Staehelin, head of international marketing for Varian Medical Systems.
The Champalimaud Foundation’s Centre for the Unknown opened in 2010 at the mouth of the River Tagus in Lisbon. It comprises diagnostic and treatment units for cancer patients on its lower floors with research labs above, aimed at research into cancer and neuroscience.
