Device cuts risk for female cancer patients

Ground-breaking technology is giving female patients at Gold Coast Private Hospital safer options in the treatment of gynaecological cancer.

Surgeons previously had to remove all lymph nodes from the sides of the pelvis to stop endometrial cancer spreading from the uterus, but this often results in unwanted side effects.

Lymphoedema, or leg swelling, affects 10 to 15 percent of patients and can range from mild cases to permanent and painful.

"Now we are able to identify, remove and examine just one 'sentinel' lymph node, which reduces the need to expose women to the risk of lymphoedema," gynaecological oncologist Dr Helen Green said.

She is performing these biopsies with the Stryker AIM 1588 Platform recently bought by Gold Coast Private.

The device's infrared illumination and military-grade visualisation technologies can track green dye injected into the cervix that travels to the sentinel lymph node – the first to which cancer cells are expected to spread.

Once found, the node is removed via keyhole incision in the abdominal skin and sent for pathology tests.

If negative – no cancer cells present – then the disease is not likely to spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs. A positive result means it may be present elsewhere, so surgeons investigate the extent of the disease and develop an appropriate plan.

Uterine cancer is the fifth-highest diagnosed cancer for Australian females, and new cases rose from 942 in 1982 to 2,723 in 2015 – it now kills more than 500 women every year.

"One of the key factors when a new technology is introduced is ensuring patients understand where it fits into best practice and the benefits of embracing it compared to the old procedure," Dr Green said.

"In this case, we're very happy with the new technique because we've got very high-quality evidence supporting it.It's been validated as a safe and reliable procedure in international clinical trials," she added.

The platform has been available on the Gold Coast since late 2017 – Pindara Private Hospital was an early adopter of the technology – but more Queensland hospitals are now using it, also for colorectal and ear, nose and throat surgery.

"We've brought in this technology at the same time as Brisbane hospitals, which reinforces that Gold Coast Private is very committed to remaining at the forefront of technological changes," Dr Green said.

She said the platform is giving her patients greater say and understanding in their treatment, though she stressed there is a two percent chance of false negatives with the procedure.

"Sometimes the green dye doesn't track properly. That said, the majority of women feel this is an acceptably low risk because the risk of lymphoedema is much lower and they can avoid serious mobility problems, particularly for elderly patients," she explained.

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