"The method, known as Papillon, uses low energy X-rays to treat rectal cancer patients and it has recently been recommended for use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Sharon Price, an NHS worker from Newcastle-under-Lyme, was diagnosed with rectal cancer at the age of 45 and said: "I was faced with the possibility of surgery, which would mean that I'd have to live with a stoma for the rest of my life. "That was devastating - I was just too young to have to go through that.""
"The consultant who pioneered Papillon, Prof Sun Myint from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Merseyside, said: "It is wonderful that patients will now be given a choice of treatment and many of them will have a much better quality of life later because of it." His trials followed patients for five years and he found Papillon helped preserve organs 93% of the time in cases of rectal cancer where tumours measured 3cm or less. Prof Myint, who is 77 and still working as a consultant, said he was ready to retire once the treatment became "embedded as the standard of care in the NHS and across the world"."
Papillon is a low-energy X-ray treatment for rectal cancer that can allow patients to avoid surgery and a permanent stoma. NICE has recommended Papillon for use. The treatment is applied to tumours measuring 3cm or less and to patients who decline surgery or are high risk. Larger tumours may become eligible if reduced to 3cm or less by other therapies. Trials led by Prof Sun Myint followed patients for five years and showed organ preservation in 93% of cases with tumours 3cm or less. The approach aims to improve long-term quality of life.
Read at www.bbc.com
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