National study day for pioneering Papillon treatment technique

Posted 10th March 2014

A clinician who brought a revolutionary radiotherapy procedure to the UK welcomed cancer specialists to The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre to share experiences of this increasingly in-demand treatment.

The Papillon technique, a type of contact radiotherapy developed for the treatment of rectal cancer was first introduced to Britain in 1993 by Professor Arthur Sun Myint, a consultant at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, who has been at the forefront of its development since then.

The National Papillon Study Day took place on Friday 7 March at the Post Graduate Medical Centre at the Clatterbridge Health Park. The event was hosted by Professor Myint who has been working with other centres worldwide to offer the treatment to increasing numbers of rectal cancer patients.

Colorectal surgeons, oncologists, specialist nurses and radiographers from across the country attended the special one day course to find out more about the contact radiotherapy technique; examine which patients are eligible for the treatment; share a real patient’s experience of the treatment and discuss the importance of setting up clinical trials to gather more evidence about the benefits of Papillon.

Professor Myint commented: “Papillon, which uses contact radiotherapy, is recommended for early stage rectal cancer patients who are not fit enough for general anaesthesia. One of the primary benefits of the treatment is that it avoids patients needing to have a major extirpative surgery which can be a risky procedure and results in the need for either a temporary or permanent stoma.

“It’s a real honour for us to be hosting the National Papillon Study Day at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre as the dedicated team here has seen first-hand how the treatment has developed over the years and how truly life changing the procedure can be for patients with early stage rectal cancer. Over the past five years we have hosted specialist training workshops in the hope that centres throughout the world will begin to use Papillon treatment for rectal cancers and in the process save lives and avoid the need for a permanent stoma.”

In 2013, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre opened a dedicated Papillon Suite, fully equipped with the brand new Ariane Papillon machine enabling even more patients to be treated with the revolutionary technique. The treatment offers patients a better quality of life as they don’t require major surgery and the procedure itself takes a matter of minutes.

For more information about the National Papillon Study Day and the Papillon Training School please contact sun.myint@clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk