Southampton gives pioneering treatment for pancreatic cancer to boost survival

People having surgery for pancreatic cancer at University Hospital Southampton are being given an innovative treatment that uses targeted radiotherapy during the operation.

The treatment targets tumour cells that are not safe to surgically remove. The team’s initial results show it is safe and has the same length of stay in hospital as the standard treatment. They hope it will also boost poor survival rates in these patients.

Mr Arjun Takhar, a consultant hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer surgeon at University Hospital Southampton, is one of the team helping to deliver the treatment.

Boosting survival

Pancreatic cancer is a particularly aggressive form of the disease which is normally diagnosed at a late stage. It has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers, with five-year survival for patients in the UK at less than seven percent, falling to one percent after 10 years.

Cancer patients are usually given radiotherapy in a specially sealed room, which is lined with lead to prevent the radiation from escaping. The technique uses radiation to kill cancer cells.

But this new treatment - known as intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) - can instead be given at the time of surgery, while the patient is still open, using a Mobetron machine.

Targeted treatment during surgery

After removing the bulk of the tumour, the surgeon and oncologist can use Mobetron to target any areas where they suspect cancer cells remain. These include areas they could not safely operate on, for instance because there are important blood vessels that would be damaged.

This targeted approach during surgery is expected to boost survival by reducing the likelihood of it coming back at critical sites. It also limits radiation to the specific area that needs it, helping to reduce complications.

The treatment is funded by PLANETS Cancer Charity. The Southampton team have recently published their initial results as a research letter in the British Journal of Surgery.

“We have shown that adoption of IORT using Mobetron is just as safe as standard pancreatic cancer surgery and this should be the impetus for others to adopt it,” said Mr Takhar, who is also part of the PLANETS surgical team.