---
title: "How Canadian doctors are using 3D printing to improve cancer treatment"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/canadian-doctors-using-3d-printing-cancer-treatment/
date: 2026-01-08
modified: 2026-01-08
lang: en
author: "Tess Boissonneault"
description: "A small team of doctors based out of Kelowna, British Columbia has come up with a way to improve targeted radiation for certain types of cancer. The approach involves the..."
categories:
  - "Medical AM"
  - "Medical Models"
  - "Personalized Medicine"
tags:
  - "top news"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cervical-cancer-cells-640x480.jpg
word_count: 488
---

# How Canadian doctors are using 3D printing to improve cancer treatment

A small team of doctors based out of Kelowna, British Columbia has come up with a way to improve targeted radiation for certain types of cancer. The approach involves the use of a custom 3D printed applicator that boosts the effectiveness and accuracy of radiation therapies for gynaecological tumors. Last year, the Kelowna-based cancer center used the custom 3D printed devices in 31 cases.

The innovative approach was conceived and pioneered by Dr. Deidre Batchelar and her team, who were frustrated by the fact that they couldn't deliver radiation in the shape they wanted to certain patients using standardized applicators in brachytherapy treatment. Brachytherapy is an internal radiation method that uses applicators to deliver radioactive material directly to the tumor. This treatment allows for a higher dose of radiation to be used without increasing the risk of damaging healthy cells and tissue. By customizing the applicators using MRI imaging, the accuracy of the targeting can be improved.

According to an interview with Dr. Batchelar [for the CBC](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-gynecological-cancer-innovation-3d-printer-9.7037230), it took some time to gather the funding, but eventually she was able to purchase a $60,000 SLA 3D printer from Formlabs. Using an internally developed software program and the Formlabs system, Dr. Batchelar's team is now able to 3D print the tube-shaped applicators that are tailored based on a patient's anatomy and the placement and contours of the tumor.

[![How Canadian doctors are using 3D printing to improve cancer treatment](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/f3bl-1-340x191.jpeg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/f3bl-1.jpeg)"The more conformal you become, it means you increase the dose to the tumor, while you are protecting the normal structures. and that really translates to an improved outcome," added Dr. Hamad Raziee, radiation oncologist at B.C. Cancer Kelowna. Additionally, Dr. Raziee says that thanks to the increased precision of the applicator, the brachytherapy process requires fewer needles and is thus less invasive for patients.

This case is a great example of how 3D printing can give professionals the tools they need to innovate and develop game-changing devices. For Dr. Batchelar, having 3D printing in house has meant that she can improve treatment for her patients. Going forward, the goal is to bring the custom 3D printed devices to more treatment centers across the Canadian province. This effort is not the only one to investigate the use of 3D printing for brachytherapy: in the past few years there have been a number of studies published on the topic, [citing](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37024350/) the technology as "an important clinical technology enabling customized applicator and template designs, representing a major advancement in the methodology for implantation and delivery in gynecological brachytherapy."

In other related news, a team from Ohio State University has [reported the benefits of using patient-specific 3D printed surgical guides](https://www.voxelmatters.com/ohio-state-uses-3d-printing-to-improve-cancer-surgery-precision/) for complex cases of head and neck cancer. In a study comparing outcomes from 68 patients with bone-invading head and neck cancers—37 of which underwent surgery using the patient-specific 3D models—the surgeries that used the 3D models had higher rates of negative surgical margins, meaning that no cancer was detected in the surrounding tissue.