The Amsterdam UMC is the First Hospital in the EU to Treat a Patient with a Small Lung Tumor from the inside out with heat. Until Now, This Internal Method was only Performed in London.
The New Treatment is an extra option in addition to surgery or radiation of the tumor. It is Mainly Intended for People for whom surgery is not an option for health reasons. “But also people who don’t fancy surgery can use the treatment,” Says pulmonologist Jouke Annema or the Amsterdam UMC to NU.nl.
The Treatment Works As Follows: The Location of the Tumor is determined with an X-ray scan. A Thin Tube is then Brought Through the Airways to the Tumor. The Tumor Cells are heated and destroyed by Means of Microwaves.
The Tumor is exhibited to a temperature of at Least 60 Degrees for three minutes, Explains Saskia van Heumen. She is a Technical Physician and Researches The Treatment. “Tissue damage can occur from that temperature,” Says van Heumen.
The New Treatment Should Be Less Burdensome for Future Patients, Who Should Be Able To Recover From It Faster. It remains to be seen Whether this is indeed the case. Accordance to pulmonologist Annema, The First (and So Far Only) Patient in The Amsterdam Hospital Has Not Suffered Any Problems.
Althegh the Treatment is not an operation, the patient is anesthetized. Accordance to annema, this is QUITE Normal with such a procedure. “Nobody Wants To Lie Awake for Three Quarters of An Hour With A Tube In Their Throat.”
‘Small step for something bigger later’
Accordance to Annema and van Heumen, The New Treatment is not Suitable for Much Larger Tumors. The maximum treatable size is 3 centimeters. The Focus is Therefore Mainly On Treating Lung Cancer in An Early Stage.
Accordance to Annema, The Scoop in Amsterdam Mainly shows that the Technology Works. Accordance to the Doctor, Lung Cancer is Being Discovered Earlier and Earlier. And then the new treatment Could Work Well. “It’s a small step for something bigger later.”
A Disease Such As Bowel Cancer Can also Cause Small Metastases in the Lung. Annema envisions that such metastasized tumor globules can also be tackled with the new treatment in the future.