Canadian First in the Treatment of Lung Cancer

Windsor resident Wes O’Grady, the first Canadian patient to undergo a new surgical treatment for lung cancer, didn’t hesitate at the chance to help future patients with the disease.

“Not only might it benefit me, but I really wanted this surgery to help others with lung cancer in the future,” says O’Grady, who underwent more than four hours of surgery at Victoria Hospital on May 13, 2009.

O’Grady was selected as an ideal candidate for this new procedure by Dr. Richard Malthaner, surgeon, and oncologist Dr. Edward Yu. The two physicians removed a small wedge from O’Grady’s lung and then applied a surgical mesh interwoven with brachytherapy seeds to where the lung had been resected.

Brachytherapy is the use of small radioactive seeds to treat cancer. They look like metallic grains of rice and are often used to treat prostate cancer. Applying them to treat lung cancer was done as part of a clinical trial at Lawson Health Research Institute and was the first time in Canada these two treatment modalities were performed together to treat the disease.

“The current standard is to perform a lobectomy or the removal of a much larger section of lung; these patients also get serious side effects like fatigue and shortness of breath which can really affect their quality of life,” explains Malthaner. “By removing a smaller part of the lung and adding the brachytherapy to kill stray cancer cells, we anticipate patients will be cured of their cancer and have a better quality of life after treatment.”

While this was a unique procedure in a Canadian operating room, so was its collaborative approach. “Normally our respective disciplines [oncology and surgery] refer to one another, but rarely do we have the opportunity to cooperate at this level,” says Yu.

This clinical trial utilized the surgical training facilities at CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technology & Advanced Robotics), and Oncura Brachytherapy provided funding for all brachytherapy seeds used in procedures done at LHSC as part of this clinical trial.

LHSC is the only Canadian hospital participating in this North American clinical trial.

In mid-June, the sprightly 83-year-old O’Grady returned to LHSC for a check-up, and was glad to hear his recovery was on track. “I feel great, but think that rejoining my baseball team might have to wait until next summer!” he says, though does plan to join a seniors volleyball league as early as this fall.

For more information

Media Releases - July 9, 2009