For the first time, cancer patients in the UK will be able to “visualise” the effect of cancer treatment on their tumours.
As part of a £20m investment, GenesisCare has given the public access to its “Brainlab Mixed Reality Viewer”, at the company’s centre for diagnostics, oncology and wellbeing in Oxford.
The technology enables clinicians and patients to visualise, interpret and interact with a patient’s medical data in 3D hyper-realistic visualisations – as if they were objects in the real world, says the organisation.
GenesisCare is hoping that this step will enable patients to be more involved, and gain better understanding of the impact of their treatment plan on their cancer.
Speaking about using Brainlab Mixed Reality Viewer, Mr Puneet Plaha consultant neurosurgeon, Oxford explained that it is a “truly remarkable piece of equipment – freeing patient scans from a 2D screen and bringing them to life in a room for patients to see.”
He went on, “Preparing for brain surgery has taken on an entirely new dimension with viewing in mixed reality, allowing patients to walk into a unique, fascinating virtual 3D world of the human body brain and see their critical structures and surrounding nerve connections. It provides them with an excellent understanding of their symptoms and importantly what surgery would involve and the effects it might have on their cancer.”
As a result of the new technology, Mr Plaha hopes that it will allow the company to make tailored treatment decisions alongside patients, empowering them in a way which was previously not possible.
The technology also enables groups of clinicians – either in person, or remotely – to collaborate on patient cases and treatment decisions in an e-MDT (enhanced-multi-disciplinary team), providing understanding and allowing for insights to be shared easily.
