The London Clinic introduces OncoSil treatment for pancreatic cancer

Independent hospital and charity The London Clinic says it is the first independent hospital in the UK to employ OncoSil, said to be a breakthrough new treatment for pancreatic cancer.

OncoSil is a single use brachytherapy device that delivers a pre-determined dose of beta radiation directly into cancerous tissue. It is used in combination with chemotherapy to treat patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the pancreas grow out of control, with symptoms varying according to the tumour type and location. People often do not show symptoms in the earlier stages of the disease and so it is difficult to detect. This nuclear medicine therapy offers a new option for the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic cancer where the tumour is unresectable.

The beta particles emitted by OncoSil cause damage to cancer cell DNA, which renders them incapable of further cell division and can ultimately shrink the tumour mass.

OncoSil has been shown in clinical studies to increase overall survival and lead to downstaging, allowing patients to undergo surgery to remove their tumours. This surgery statistically improves the five-year survival rate from around seven per cent to more than 20 per cent.

OncoSil implantation is an outpatient procedure that takes around 60 minutes. Dr Zarni Win is consultant radiologist and nuclear medicine physician at the clinic in Harley Street. He said: “I am particularly excited about this new therapy, as it now offers a much higher chance for pancreatic cancer patients with locally advanced disease to undergo curative surgery following OncoSil therapy, compared to a pessimistic outcome with conventional treatment.”

During the PanCO clinical study, which had participating sites in Australia, the UK and Belgium, a total of 50 subjects were enrolled with 42 subjects successfully implanted with the OncoSil device. The London Clinic says it performed the largest number of implantations in the UK and EU during this study and will be the first centre in the UK to treat patients using the technology this year.

“I am delighted that The London Clinic will be the first institution in the UK to routinely offer patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer treatment with the OncoSil device,” said ceo and managing director, OncoSil medical president, EMEA Nigel Lange. “This provides patients and their clinicians with an encouraging new approach and hope, in a disease where there has been little advancement for decades.”

Picture: OncoSil reduction of tumour. Picture courtesy Dr Berry Allen 2021.

Published on page 2 of the April 2021 issue of RAD Magazine.