GTx precision surgery researchers honoured at gala event

Toronto, ON – The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation has honoured three visionary scientists, whose work in innovative imaging techniques has improved cancer surgery.

The scientists were Dr Jonathan Irish, chief of the department of surgical oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital, Dr David Jaffray, head of radiation physics and chair, Orey and Mary Fidani family in radiation physics at Princess Margaret Hospital, and Dr Walter Kucharczyk, director, magnetic resonance imaging at University Health Network (UHN), and chair of the department of medical imaging at the University of Toronto.

All were honoured at a gala event in Toronto last week for their groundbreaking research in image-guided therapeutics, dubbed GTx.

“As a cancer surgeon and as someone who has seen this technology at work, I can honestly say it’s remarkable. Image-guided surgery will save lives,” says Dr Irish. GTx at UHN integrates imaging technologies to provide a kind of GPS for cancer surgeons – where surgical tools, and the surgical target and surrounding anatomy are visualized precisely in real-time, three-dimensional images. The surgeon can accurately pinpoint cancer cells and tumours and then remove them without harming the surrounding structures or healthy tissue. Patients will benefit from faster recovery times and enhanced quality of life during and after treatment.”

“Advanced diagnostic imaging methods and image-guided therapeutics are two of the most far-reaching breakthroughs in medical technology in our lifetime,” said Dr Kucharczyk. “Imaging technologies give us an inside view of complex tissues and structures like never before. It’s vastly improved how we see, understand, and treat disease.”