Mark Robinson missed biting into an apple after an aggressive skin cancer marching swiftly across his face meant surgeons had to remove his nose and part of his jaw.
Robinson’s appearance and facial functions have been largely restored after doctors in Sydney harnessed 3D printing technology to create a magnetic clip-on prosthetic nose and partial denture. The spread of 3D printing technology has been a boon for cancer patients who have lost parts of their faces by offering a quicker, cheaper and more precise way to manufacture prostheses compared to traditional methods. The technology can use computer-aided design to create 3D objects via a layering technique.
Doctors say the new research facility will enable other cancer patients to get life-enhancing reconstructive surgery similar to Robinson’s.Horvath said Lifehouse’s rare combination of a cancer hospital and research institute meant doctors and researchers could develop the personalised prosthetics, surgical guides and devices in-house.
“Mark’s was one of the first where we have used the new 3D capabilities. We used virtual surgical planning to come up with a solution that could reconstruct the nose by giving us titanium abutments for a magnetically attached nose, as well as fixtures for a partial denture,” he said. “More people will have access to the care that Mark’s received, and it could be done for patients in a shorter timeframe because we don’t have the lag times of having to ship things from international locations – we’re doing it at the point of care.”
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