It's a fight James Williams hopes he will never have to repeat, and an experience in cancer treatment that brought him down to a new low.
"They bring you down as low as they can, so you can get back up again," Williams said of the treatment he received for the kidney cancer.
The intense treatment he underwent included a series of injections – shots which sent him into septic shock.
However, the treatment shrunk his cancer, though he still has tiny tumours in his lungs and spine.
That particular treatment style could have another alternative in the future, if research into a new device is successful.
Researchers at the Cross Cancer Institute are getting support from two levels of government, charity and industry to develop a promising new cancer radiation therapy device that could revolutionize cancer treatment.
The treatment is called Magnetic Resonance Real-time Guided Radiation Therapy (MRrtgRT), the prototype combines two existing pieces of equipment: a magnetic resonance scanner (MRI) and a linear accelerator (LINAC).
The MRrtgRT produces a real-time 3D image, and directs a very narrow beam of radiation that would allow doctors to more precisely pinpoint tumors, and avoid damaging healthy tissue nearby.
"The clinical outcomes will be improved," Dr. Gino Fallone with the Cross Cancer Institute said. "There will definitely be less toxicity,
"In other words they won't feel as bad."
It could be used to treat several cancers, including lung, breast, prostate and even cancers that can't be treated by radiation due to their location in the body, such as abdominal cancers.
"Most of the problems occur when the patient breathes and things are moving inside the patient," Dr. Fallone said. "It's like hitting a moving target so up to now we've been having things like a single snapshot."
"It's hard to overstate the potential impact of this technology," Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said.
The Government of Canada will invest $2.5 million to help develop and test the new technology.
"We're committed to supporting research and improving how we deliver health care," Aglukkaq said.
The provincial government is also investing $250,000 into the project, while the Alberta Cancer Foundation has committed $2.15 million, and Alberta Health Services, along with their industry partners, ASG Superconductors and Paramed are contributing $1.1 million.
Renovations at the Cross Cancer Institute are expected to take place over the next year to accommodate the new device.
The device will have to go through clinical trials before it can be used regularly, so it could be several years.
No matter, James Williams is encouraged by the breakthrough.
"It gives you hope and that's what everybody wants."
With files from Laura Tupper
