New cancer treatment means longer life

A pioneering cancer treatment, essentially surgery without a scalpel, is showing substantial benefits for patients, including increased life expectancy, a new Irish study has shown.

An analysis of outcomes for 881 patients who underwent radiosurgery at Dublin’s Beacon Hospital between 2006-2014 showed an average 15-month increase in the life expectancy of 86 patients with secondary brain tumours, when compared to conventional radiotherapy treatment.

The study, conducted by the hospital’s consultant radiation oncology team led by Professor John Armstrong also shows: