FOR the first time patients in the UK can see a 3D scan of what their cancer treatment will do.

GenesisCare has launched the new technology at its Oxford private cancer centre as part of a £20m investment.

The Brainlab Mixed Reality Viewer allows clinicians and patients to visualise, interpret and interact with a patient’s medical data in 3D – as if they were objects right in front of them.

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The idea is it will enable patients to be more involved and better understand the impact of treatment plan on their cancer.

Dr Puneet Plaha, consultant neurosurgeon at the centre, said: “The mixed reality viewer is a truly remarkable piece of equipment – freeing patient scans from a 2D screen and bringing them to life in a room for patients to see.

"Preparing for brain surgery has taken on an entirely new dimension with viewing in mixed reality, allowing patients to walk into a unique, fascinating virtual 3D world of the human body brain and see their critical structures and surrounding nerve connections."

He added it provided them with an 'excellent understanding' of their symptoms and what surgery would involve, as well as the effects it might have on their cancer.