In this interesting article in the BMJ, the authors describe the burden of complex medicine on the patients and family members.
Although outcomes of treatment are routinely measured, assessing and documenting the burden of treatment could even become a key quality measure, say Mair and May, who have previously argued for “minimally disruptive medicine.”
At LION we are leading the way in minimally invasive, targeted treatments to minimise this disruption and reduce the side effects of the treatment itself.
A conversation with a University of Wisconsin-Madison neurosurgeon prompted two engineering researchers to challenge a commonly held idea about tumor ablation, and as a result, they’re now working to commercialize a new technology that could yield less invasive radiation therapies for cancer patients.
Follow this link to find out more
‘With the terrible statistic that cancer will affect one in four of us in the UK, it’s unsurprising that TV documentary-makers are investigating the subject constantly. However, Cutting Edge: Curing Cancer (Channel 4) proved to offer something very different, focusing on four patients trialling new techniques to combat the disease.
Rightly, the fascinating scientific breakthroughs were allowed to dominate. Most remarkable was Debra Cox, whose lung tumours were tackled using microwaves. I watched in disbelief as a needle penetrated her lungs to reach the tumours – as she lay in the operating theatre, awake and breathing normally. Searching for an analogy to sum up the obvious skill involved, her surgeon, Dr Rowland Illing, eventually said: “It’s like trying to put a knitting needle through a marble”.’
A good review of the Channel 4 documentary ‘Curing Cancer, featuring Dr Rowland Illing treating lung metastases with microwave ablation can be found here
Every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer. From that life-changing moment the race is on to find a successful treatment before the disease gets too far. With unprecedented access to the new Macmillan Cancer Centre at University College Hospital, Curing Cancer follows four patients taking part in trials of some of the most advanced cancer treatments in the world.
One of the patients featured in this documentary, Debra Cox, is treated and followed up by Dr Rowland Illing.
The documentary trailer and several other patient stories can be found here
The documentary can be followed on twitter #curingcancer #DrRow
The private hospital sector is coming under more and more scrutiny. This is entirely appropriate. The standard of care that private patients receive should be excellent, and just as tightly regulated as in the NHS.
In the LION group practice, we follow up all patients after their procedures, no matter in which private hospital the intervention has taken place. This is to ensure that they have made a smooth recovery but also that the hospital has provided excellent care on the ward and in theatres.
Follow this link to read more on the how the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is starting to regulate the private sector hospitals.
This article from General Surgery News discusses recent trial results from women with early stage breast cancer treated with ultrasound-guided percutaneous cryoablation.
Read more here
We have received feedback from a patient following a vascular interventional procedure.
Please follow this link to read more
According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research “Ablation Technologies Market (Applications: Cardiovascular, Gynecology, Pain Management, Oncology, Urology, Ophthalmology; Technologies: Radiofrequency, Light/Laser, Electrical, Ultrasound, Microwave, Cryotherapy) – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 – 2020,” the global ablation technologies market was valued at USD 4,698 million in 2013 and is estimated to reach a market worth USD 10,611 million in 2020 at a CAGR of 12.1% from 2014 to 2020.
Read the full PRN Newswire report here
