Cancer sufferer saved by Aussie-made 3D-printed ribcage

A Spanish cancer patient is reportedly doing well after becoming the recipient of a world first ribcage transplant made possible by 3D printing – the product of Australian ingenuity.

The 54-year-old patient was suffering a chest wall sarcoma – a type of cancer that grows around the ribcage - requiring his sternum and part of his ribcage to be replaced.

Thankfully, a Melbourne-based company called Anatomics was on hand to design and build the prosthesis, which is a notoriously difficult one, owing to the complex geometry unique to each patient.

Using high-resolution CT data, the team was able to map the chest wall and tumour, which was then built in titanium at the CSIRO lab using its $1.3 million Arcam printer.

The patient remained in hospital for 12 days following the surgery, but has recovered well after being discharged.

Source: CSIRO