Khaberni - Europe has witnessed an advanced medical procedure that involves implanting radioactive rods inside the tumor, in an attempt to shrink it from within and increase the chances of surgical intervention.
In an unprecedented medical step at the European level, a group of French and Canadian doctors at the University Hospital in Grenoble, on Thursday, successfully implanted 224 titanium rods coated with radium 224 inside an inoperable pancreatic tumor, in a new attempt to destroy the tumor from within.
Pancreatic cancer is classified as one of the most stubborn types of cancer, with about 16,000 new cases annually in France, according to figures from the Medical Research Foundation. The spread of this type of cancer is linked to Western lifestyle factors such as obesity, diabetes, smoking, and lack of physical activity, according to the French newspaper "West France".
So far, standard chemotherapy and radiation remain the primary means of combating the disease, with the possibility of resorting to surgery only in 10 to 20% of cases at the time of diagnosis.
However, more than 80% of patients suffer a relapse after the operation, as explained by Professor Gaël Roth, a specialist in digestive oncology at the University of Grenoble and the University Hospital in Grenoble.
This new technique aims to weaken or destroy the tumor from the inside, which may make surgery possible, with progress towards achieving possible cure cases, according to Professor Roth.
The procedure is based on a previous Canadian experiment on 32 patients between 2023 and 2024, which showed tumor stabilization and minor side effects, according to Professor Corey Miller from McGill University. The French trial, led by Professor Roth, is currently targeting 40 patients, which enhances hopes in the fight against this deadly disease, which may soon become the second most lethal type of cancer in France.
