Global Health Asia-Pacific July 2020 July 2020 | Page 30

Cancer News Augmented reality helps treat liver cancer The approach helps doctors navigate internal structures and locate tumour cells Atechnology that creates three-dimensional images of patients’ body tissues has proved useful in pinpointing tumour cells for targeted treatment, according to a study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 2020 Annual �cientific Meeting. Drawing on information provided by standard twodimensional imaging systems, the augmented reality system can project holograms of the patients anatomy on their bodies while doctors perform a procedure called percutaneous thermal ablation that burns liver tumours by inserting a probe that releases electromagnetic waves. “Converting traditional two-dimensional imaging into three-dimensional holograms which we can then utilize for guidance using augmented reality helps us to better view a patient’s internal structures as we navigate our way to the point of treatment. “While conventional imaging, like ultrasound and CT, is safe, effective, and remains the gold-standard of care, augmented reality potentially improves the visualisation of the tumour and surrounding structures, increasing the speed of localisation and improving the treatingphysician’s confidence,� said Dr �aurav �adodia, lead author of the study and radiology resident at Cleveland Clinic, in a press release. The study involved five patients whose liver tumours were successfully destroyed, with none having a tumour recurrence in a follow-up conducted after three months. To obtain more data, clinicians are enrolling new patients in the study. Aside from being a therapeutic intervention, the technology could prove useful in helping patients better understand their problems and how treatments work. “This technique can be used intra-procedurally to check the accuracy and quality of the treatment, as well as pre-procedurally to engage with the patient in their own care,” said Dr Charles Martin, an interventional radiologist at Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study, in the press release. “We can change 2D images into holograms of a patient’s distinct anatomy so that both the physician and the patient get a better understanding of the tumour and treatment.” Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease raises risk of lung cancer New data on non-smokers could lead to new guidelines for lung cancer screening Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases the risk of developing lung cancer in nonsmokers, says a new study in the journal Thorax, suggesting that this subset of patients might benefit from early cancer screening. An umbrella term for a variety of respiratory problems, including bronchitis and emphysema, COPD is often associated with smoking, which in turn is a major risk factor for lung cancer, but in about 39 percent of cases people who develop COPD have never smoked. In order to investigate the effects of COPD on lung cancer, the authors checked the health of 338,548 men and women in Korea with no history of lung cancer for an average of seven years and found that non-smokers with COPD have the same cancer risk as smokers without the condition. “Given that poor lung function in COPD is often a barrier to optimal cancer treatment due to increased risk of treatment related morbidities, our study suggests that early detection of lung cancer in COPD patients may reduce the risk of treatment complications,” the authors of the study wrote. “Further studies should evaluate whether COPD patients are candidates for lung cancer screening, irrespective of smoking status,” they recommended. 28 JULY 2020 GlobalHealthAndTravel.com