The Birth of a New Speciality -
"Interventional Oncology"
approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence
Interventional oncology is a relatively new field of image guided, minimally invasive therapy in which tumours are destroyed using heat energy. These new techniques have the advantage of being able to treat multiple tumours, on different occasions and also recurrent tumours even in those considered unfit for major surgery. The procedure is performed under sedation or general anaesthetic. The hospital stay is short, usually one night, and most patients make a rapid recovery
The first thermal ablation treatment to a liver tumour in a patient with colorectal cancer was performed by Prof Bill Lees in 1989. The treatment was performed under sedation using ultrasound guidance. A single bare-tip laser fibre was inserted into the tumour, the laser activated and the tumour heated. We were the first group in the world to report a possible survival benefit for patients with colorectal liver metastases treated with laser thermal ablation between 1993 and 1997.
Nearly 20 years on we have the biggest ablation practice in the UK with experience in many types of thermal ablation which started with laser but now largely features radiofrequency and more recently microwave. We have treated many different types of tumour in many different parts of the body including liver, lung, kidney and bone. We have published the largest series of radiofrequency ablation in liver secondaries from colorectal cancer with some of the best survival figures in the world. Two consultants, Prof Bill Lees and Dr Alice Gillams, perform an average of 170 ablations per annum. The Middlesex Hospital and the ablation practice moved in 2005 to the brand new University College Hospital on the Euston Road where we have the latest, state of the art equipment for performing ablation.
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