a revolutionary facial reconstruction using 3D printing in the face of the explosion of oral cancers

The number of oral cancers is increasing sharply. These conditions have increased by 70% since the 1990s. In Toulouse, a team from the University Hospital is working on an innovative idea: reconstructing part of the face with bones in 3D.

Getting your face back and being able to continue living normally after an oral cancer operation is something all patients dream of. AT THE Toulouse University Hospital, a small revolution is brewing.

Facial reconstruction is a very complex operation. The Toulouse University Hospital teams are embarking on an innovative project, intended to limit the after-effects for patients suffering from oral cancer. The project received funding from France 2030 and the national research agency.

“When it comes to cancers that are close to one of the bones of the mouth, whether it is the jaw or the maxilla, we must remove a large part of the bone and the palate”explains Professor Agnès Dupret-Bories, ENT and head and neck surgeon. “And the idea with this new process is that during the surgical procedure we will have a biomaterial, already custom printed and which will make it possible to replace this facial bone.”

A CT scan, carried out on the patient, will make it possible to model the bone to be replaced. Made using 3D, it will be designed with biomaterials, titanium andhydroxyapatitea ceramic very close to natural bone and well accepted by the human body.

“We bring a synthetic element, which is mainly porous with channels, which allow the patient’s tissues to integrate and therefore colonize inside”specifies Valentin Henriet, clinical engineer and company project manager. “The idea is that in the end, it will essentially be tissue from the patients, which will be autonomous, to defend itself against infections.”

Today, jaw reconstructions are carried out by taking bone from the patient’s leg. The surgery is heavy and the rehabilitation very long. The failure rate is around 10%: “Many patients have serious after-effects and can no longer eat or breathe through their mouth,” testifies Professor Agnès Dupret-Bories.

The research initiated by the Toulouse University Hospital could therefore help many patients: “With this device, we will have a success rate of 100%”adds the surgeon. “There will no longer be any risk of blockage of the vessels, hematoma or abscess, which endanger the graft”.

Since the 1990s, oral cancers have increased by 70%. For patients, these devices represent immense hope: “It’s above all to say to ourselves that we will benefit from a very complex basic surgery, but which will be less traumatic, less invasive and which is more in keeping with the face we had before”confides Catherine Decoster, member of the Corasso association.

A little over 13 million euros are needed to finance the Bioface project, which is still at the research stage. The first post-clinical trials will be carried out on pets suffering from cancer. The first surgical procedures on humans should take place in three years.