Information for Patients
Rectal Cancer Patients
Breast Cancer Patients
Skin Cancer Patients
Papillon+ Bowel (Rectal) Cancer Treatment
Supporting Patient Choice for the Treatment of Rectal (Bowel) Cancer
Patient choice, welfare and outcome were the central concerns that lead to the development of X-ray Brachytherapy techniques and subsequently Papillon treatment systems.
The Papillon technique was originally developed to tackle lower rectal tumours in patients who may not be able to have radical surgery. Since the Ariane system has been introduced the numbers of patients treated with lower rectal tumours has broken the 2500 mark with over 250 treated in the UK in 2018.
Rectal (Bowel) Cancer – The Papillon rectal treatment aims to treat tumours (generally between T1 – T3 with no or little nodal involvement) that would ordinarily be only suitable for radical surgery, often involving the removal of the anus, leaving the patient with a stoma. Depending on the size, staging and positioning of the tumour the Papillon treatment can be used on its own or in conjunction with traditional external beam radiotherapy, chemotherapy or local surgical techniques.
Links for Patients
Below you will find some useful links to websites that may help you in better understanding the treatment options that are available especially for rectal cancers.
Hospitals treating rectal cancer with the Papillon technique:
- Denmark – Aarhus Universitetshospital – Aarhus
- France – Centre Antoine-Lacassagne – Nice
- France – Polyclinique du Val de Saône – Macon
- France – Le centre de radiothérapie Bayard – Villeurbanne
- Netherlands – Netherlands Cancer Institute – Amsterdam
- Sweden – Akademiska Sjukhuset, Universitetssjukhus – Uppsala
- Switzerland – Clinique de Genolier, Genolier
- UK – Castle Hill Hospital – Hull
- UK – Clatterbridge Cancer centre – Liverpool
- UK – The Royal Surrey Hospital – Guildford
- UK – The City Hospital – Nottingham.
If you believe treatment with the Papillon technique for rectal may benefit you, a family member or friend, we suggest you discuss the potential with the patient’s family physician, oncologist or surgeon.
Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI)
Intra-Operative (IO) Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer
Intra-operative radiotherapy is a method of administering radiotherapy treatment internally to a surgically exposed site. In the case of breast cancer, low-energy x-rays are given to the exposed cavity after the removal of a tumour in breast-conserving lumpectomy surgery. Therefore, the x-rays are delivered from a machine in the operating theatre during surgery whilst the patient remains under general anaesthesia.
Usually, a single dose of radiation is given in a single treatment, however, Intra-operative radiotherapy may also be followed by a course of External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT).
Links for Patients
Below you will find some useful links to websites that may help you in better understanding the treatment options that are available for Breast Cancers.
If you believe Intra-Operative radiotherapy may benefit you, a family member or friend, we suggest you discuss the potential with the patient’s family physician, oncologist or surgeon.
Papillon+ Skin Cancer Treatment
Treatment for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers
Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are becoming increasingly common due to the ageing population. They represent a group of clinically non-invasive and slow-growing tumours accounting for >75% of all skin cancers. The majority of NMSC consists of Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCC) and Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), primarily resulting from sun exposure. As such they are often found on exposed sites, such as the face, ears, neck and hands.
Treatment for NMSC is through local excision or treatment by non-invasive therapies such as radiation or cryotherapy. In the treatment of T1 and T2 tumours, brachytherapy using radioactive sources has been shown to produce good local control and excellent cosmetic results.
Recently, electronic brachytherapy using x-rays has been used in the treatment of NMSC. Improvements have been shown over the use of radionucleotide brachytherapy due to reduced exposure of adjacent tissues to radiation, which may lead to fewer undesirable side effects. In addition, electronic x-ray brachytherapy can provide much quicker treatment times than traditional brachytherapy using radioactive sources.
Links for Patients
Below you will find some useful links to websites that may help you in better understanding the treatment options that are available for non-melanoma skin cancer.
If you believe X-ray brachytherapy treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer may benefit you, a family member or friend, we suggest you discuss the potential with the patient’s family physician, oncologist or surgeon.