CancerCare Manitoba using 3D printers to speed up treatment
A small group of experts are test-driving 3D printers at CancerCare Manitoba to help speed up treatment times for patients.
"They say that a picture saves 100 words, probably the model saves 1,000," said Alok Pathak, a surgical oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba.
Pathak started looking at ways to incorporate 3D printers into treatment about three months ago – more than a year after senior design technologist Chad Harris decided to bring one to see how it could help.
Now, Pathak's team can use a CT scan in conjunction with the printer to create replicas of patient jawbones – including their tumors.
He said it not only allows him to show his patients exactly what's wrong, but the mold can also be used before surgery to form reconstruction plates that are used to reinforce bones.
That cuts down on the amount of time patients and doctors are in the operating room, something that was previously done in the operating room.
"I think probably, in the health care industry, the most precious thing we have right now is the operating time, so if you save half an hour operating time in four patients, you potentially can get one more patient done and cut down the wait list," said Pathak.
And there are more plans underway, including creating custom molds of patients to be used during radiation treatment.
"If [the treatment time] is cut down by 15 minutes, that's a big gain for the patient -- big gain for the sytem overall," said Arbind Dubey, a radiation oncologist. "We would be creating more capacity on the machine as well."
Dubey hopes to try out the 3D printed molds on his patients in the next few months.
