For the first time in Ireland, a patient suffering from renal cancer has undergone a specialized radiotherapy treatment. Surgery was not a viable option for Patrick Magee of County Down due to pre-existing health conditions. Therefore, the SABR treatment (Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy) was implemented for his care.
In the past, radiotherapy was not a viable option for patients suffering from kidney cancer since only a small dose could safely be delivered to tumors. Oncologist Dr. Aidan Cole said that the progress of technology has enabled more meticulous and accurate treatments to be delivered which offer higher dosages. This means that the cancer patients could have longer-term, and possibly even curative, outcomes.
Dr. Cole said that although others in the world are doing similar treatments, he and his staff at Belfast’s City Hospital cancer clinic are at the forefront of the treatments. The SABR treatment is part of the innovative offerings available in Northern Ireland to cure cancer in those in whom surgery is not feasible. It is hoped that this new development will give many cancer patients across the globe a reason to be optimistic regarding their treatment options.
During the pandemic, the number of people diagnosed with renal cancer fell by a half, with many of those who were ultimately diagnosed presenting with legacy tumours. The new treatment, according to Dr. Cole, offers a chance to be moved into a curative hip of continuity and is a difference-maker in the fight against cancer
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