January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
BC Cancer Kelowna is reminding people to get regular screenings, but also gave media an opportunity to see the technology that is changing the future of treatment.
Medical Physicist Dr. Deidre Batchelar explained the technology is a 3D printer that uses resin to create custom applicators for brachytherapy, or internal radiation treatment.
Brachytherapy isn’t a new treatment style, but Batchelar explain they would get a one-size-fits-all applicator that worked for most patients, but not all.
“For our patients where the applicators did not suit,” said Batchelar, “we had to either give them an external beem boost, so that means they didn’t receive as high a dose to their cancer as they could have with using these techniques, or for some of our patients the only other option is a very extensive surgery.”
This technology is changing the future and it can be found right here in #Kelowna @BCCancer @KelownaCapNews #cervicalcancerawarenessmonth pic.twitter.com/dLs0I1bRaU
— Brittany Webster (@thebrittwebster) January 8, 2026
Radiation Oncologist Dr. Hamid Raziee explained brachytherapy as a much safer treatment option. “The dose of radiation drops very quickly as you get further away from the device and that really helps with escalating, or increasing the dose inside the tumor while protecting the normal structures that surrounding the tumor.”
The technology is the first of its kind in Canada, and Raziee said it has the potential to make cervical cancer 100 per cent curable in the future.
Batchelar said this project has been the most rewarding part of her career and is changing the future of healthcare for women.
Learn about cervix screenings and self-screening kits by visiting bccancer.bc.ca.