Hopes for lung cancer therapy

A REVOLUTIONARY lung cancer therapy, now available in Ireland for the first time, should boost cure rates and reduce healing times.

Every year, around 1,500 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed and a similar number die from the disease.

Now, a new combination of therapies means the cancerous area in the lung can be precisely targeted while allowing for the motion of the patient’s breathing.

The treatment, using Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) with image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and respiratory gating, is being provided at UPMC Whitfield Cancer Centre in Waterford.

Consultant oncologist at St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin, Prof John Armstrong, said the combination of therapies was a fantastic development.

Prof Armstrong pioneered a technique where the dose of radiation is timed to a specific breath-hold to minimise damage to healthy tissue.

Consultant oncologist at the centre, Dr Dale Hacking said up to now very few early stage lung cancer patients were treated with radiation because the accuracy needed to target the tumour was very difficult to achieve.

For queries or concerns on lung cancer Freephone the National Cancer Helpline on 1800 200 700.