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 The initiative is the latest example of medicine harnessing the
rapidly emerging technology, which has already been used to
manufacture some medical implants.
3D printing makes products by layering material until a
three-dimensional object is created. Automotive and aerospace
companies use it for producing prototypes as well as creating
specialized tools, moldings and some end-use parts.
In healthcare, 3D printers are used by dentists to create replicas
of jaws and teeth, as well as some finished dental implants, while
orthopedic surgeons have tested them to make customized hip
replacements. And last year U.S. scientists grew human ears from cow
cells with the help of a 3D printer.
The new cancer work involves printing 3D "phantoms" of tumors and
organs based on CT scans taken of patients during treatment. These
plastic moulds can be filled with liquid, allowing experts see in
detail the flow of so-called radiopharmaceuticals.
Radiopharmaceuticals are drugs containing radioactive material that
may be injected into a vein, taken by mouth or placed in a body
cavity. The challenge is to give a dose that is high enough to kill
cancer cells, without causing excessive collateral damage to healthy
tissue.
Glenn Flux, head of radioisotope physics at the Institute of Cancer
Research in London, believes accurate modeling will allow doctors in
future to fine-tune dosing, resulting in the likely routine use of
such 3D printouts.
"If we personalize treatment according to the radiation dose
delivered to the tumor, then we should have a better outcome," he
said. "I think it will have a huge impact."
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Flux and colleagues published a technical paper on their process in
the journal Medical Physics in July, showing the models can
accurately replicate the shape of a patient's tumor and the
surrounding organs, and are now looking to confirm the benefits in
larger studies.
Radiopharmaceuticals are used to treat a number of different tumors,
including thyroid cancer, cancers of nerves cells in children and
certain tumors that have spread to the bones. Interest in the field
has been fueled by the recent launch of Bayer's prostate cancer
radiopharmaceutical Xofigo.
The team in London used a 3D printer from Stratasys, one of the
leading suppliers of high-end machines.
In October, Stratasys executives said the global 3D-printing market
was expected to swell from $3 billion last year to $21 billion by
2020, according to industry research.
(Editing by David Evans)
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