Feature Story

LONDON, Ont. – New technology developed at Western University is providing an improved way for radiation oncologists to deliver treatment to women with gynaecological cancers, including vaginal, cervical and uterine cancer. By transforming a conventional ultrasound probe, already found in most clinics, the technology can provide a 360-degree, three-dimensional view of surgical tools and surrounding tissue and organs. It provides a clearer and more accurate picture in the operating room for clinicians who need to precisely insert needles into the tumour for a procedure called interstitial brachytherapy, a type of targeted radiation therapy that uses intense energy to kill cancer cells in the tumour from the inside out. Jessica Rodgers, a PhD Candidate at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and Aaron Fenster, PhD, a professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and a Scientist at Robarts Research Institute, discuss the technology.