Aoife Lowry

Biography

Name: Aoife Lowry

Job Title: Consultant Surgeon and Associate Professor in the Discipline of Surgery in NUI Galway.

Organisation: NUI Galway

Contact: (opens in a new window)aoife.lowery@nuigalway.ie

Project Title: SmartAblate 

Research Outline

The gold standard treatment for lung cancer is surgery. Still, fewer than 15% of lung cancer patients are candidates for surgical treatment. If one can avail of surgery, this can often require painful and ongoing treatment.

Our research is looking to improve lung cancer treatment by reducing the need for painful surgery or ongoing treatments. The SmartAblate project makes treatment easier for the patient.

The SmartAblate project is investigating microwave lung tumour ablation technology and its ability to treat cancer. This technology heats the tumour and a small portion of the surrounding tissue to high temperatures greater than 55 degrees Celsius to kill cancer cells. Microwave lung tumour ablation is not typically used in practice due to the cost of medical technology and the treatment protocols that need to be followed.

We are addressing some of these limitations. If successful, SmartAblate could provide feedback to clinicians so treatment can be optimised. This research could improve lung cancer treatments by reducing the need for surgery and repeated visits for patients.