The Portuguese
Institute of Oncology (IPO) held in
Porto, this Tuesday, a surgical
procedure that will use "an innovative
method to treat cancer in Portugal, in
the field of intraoperative
radiotherapy.
"This innovative technique allows you to
set aside [I imagine like putting the
organs to one side] all or part of the
normal structures of the treatment area,
the intestines, bladder, urethra or the
stomach," allowing for increased doses
of radiation in the area of greatest
risk of tumour relapse and contributing,
thus, an improvement of local control,
with reduced toxicity. "
The technique, already used in more than
150 centres worldwide, allows for
radiation to the patient during surgery
for tumour removal, "as a complement to
the conventional radiotherapy," adds the
radiotherapist responsible for the
procedure, Olga Sousa.
The IPO has an operating room built next
to a bunker which "allows the patient to
be temporarily evacuated during the
operation for the application of the
treatment with radiation, concluding the
operation with the treatment already
applied."
"It's one of the very few European
centres with this kind of functionality
and features, which represents an
improvement for the patients treated
here" says one health unit
representative.(...) |
