A small 3D printer is now being used by clinicians at British Columbia Cancer Kelowna to create patient-specific tools for brachytherapy, enabling more accurate radiation delivery for people with cervical, vaginal, and recurrent endometrial cancers.
“This was the dream of myself and a physician who has since moved back to Quebec,” said medical physicist Dr. Deidre Batchelar, who led the initiative. Batchelar said the idea emerged from clinical need and frustration. “We were frustrated by having patients where we couldn’t get radiation in the shape that we wanted… We felt we were really underserving those women. So we just had dreamt this up, almost literally on a napkin, at a conference.”
Tailored Treatment for Better Outcomes
After several years of securing support and collaborating with a graduate student, Batchelar obtained funding, developed the necessary software, and put the 3D printer into clinical use. Today, the Kelowna team produces customized brachytherapy applicators using each patient’s MRI and CT scans, allowing radiation to be delivered with far greater precision.
Brachytherapy involves positioning applicators close to tumour sites so that radiation targets cancerous tissue directly. Standard commercial tools, however, are one-size-fits-all and often fail to accommodate the wide anatomical variations seen in gynecological cancers.
Kelowna’s 3D printed applicators are individually shaped to fit each patient. “It means that you are going to increase the [radiation] dose to the tumour while you’re protecting the normal structures, and that really translates into an improved outcome,” said Dr. Hamad Raziee, radiation oncologist. He added that the personalized design can also reduce the number of needles needed, making the procedure less invasive and more comfortable for patients.
Results and Future Outlook
In 2025, the clinic completed 31 procedures using the custom-made applicators. Each year, about 250 people in British Columbia are diagnosed with cervical cancer, including roughly 55 in the Interior.
The $60,000 printer, funded through donor contributions to the B.C. Cancer Foundation, has already earned recognition within the organization. “We did win a B.C. Cancer Excellence Award in teamwork for this,” Batchelar said.
Kelowna clinicians are now collaborating with centres in Vancouver, Victoria, and Abbotsford to help establish similar programs and broaden access to personalized brachytherapy across the province.
Medical Centres Turning to 3D Printing
Hospitals around the world are beginning to apply similar digital manufacturing approaches to patient care. In the UK, North Bristol NHS Trust recently opened a new clinical hub that integrates 3D printing, high-resolution scanning, and digital modelling under one roof. Located in the Beckspool building at the former Frenchay Hospital site, the Bristol 3D Medical Centre began operating last year and now supports patients across the South West and beyond.
Among its early cases is 75-year-old cyclist Dave Richards, who sustained severe injuries—including the loss of his left eye—when he was struck by a drunk driver in 2021. After multiple surgeries, specialists scanned his face to monitor healing and fabricate a personalised prosthetic for the damaged eye socket.
Further afield, Vinmec Times City International Hospital in Vietnam achieved a national and regional milestone on September 11, 2024, completing Southeast Asia’s first chest wall reconstruction using a 3D printed titanium implant. Surgeons repaired an 11.5 cm defect created after the removal of a late-stage mediastinal tumour, restoring heart and lung function and markedly improving the patient’s quality of life.
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Featured image shows Dr. Deidre Batchelar using a 3D printer. Photo via Kimberly Davidson.
