Doctors Successfully 3D Printed This Cancer Patient A New Nose

You often hear that they’re doing wonderful things with science these days, and when you hear that someone who lost their nose to cancer had one printed and re-grown for them, you have to admit that it’s true.

The success came at the Claudius Regaud Institute of Toulouse University Hospital, where a new nose was grown by creating a 3D-printed mold that was then transferred under the skin of her forearm.

There, it grew blood vessels and was eventually able to be transplanted onto her face where it belongs.

The patient had been receiving cancer treatment for squamous cell carcinoma present in her nasal cavity. A large part of her nose and palate were damaged by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Image Credit: Facebook

Scientists tried traditional methods, all of which failed, before deciding to try something new.

They recreated her actual nose by 3D printing one made from biomaterial. They overcame the lack of blood vessels by attaching it to her arm first, then once they were established, the a microsurgery ensued that attached it to her face.

CHU de Toulouse posted about their triumph on Facebook.

“Particularly fragile, the creation and 3D printing of the nose was made possible by the collaboration between medical teams and the company Cerhum, a Belgian manufacturer. Today the transplant is a success. After a forearm feeding and a two-month colonization of the medical device, the device was able to be transplanted into the nasal region and successful revascularized.”

There have been two other similar stories this year, one of an ear created using 3D printing, for a patient with microtia, and another of a 3D-printed titanium jaw.