3D Printing and Cancer

3D printing technology has many broad applications in science & medicine. Recently, a cancer patient received a custom, 3D-printed titanium implant to replace part of his rib cage. Link: Cancer patient receives 3D printed ribs in world-first surgery

Here's an excerpt from the story:
"The 54-year-old Spanish man had chest wall sarcoma, a cancerous tumor that grows in the chest wall and, in this case, had grown around his sternum and part of his rib cage. To excise the tumor completely, surgeons also had to remove that part of his skeleton.
The rib cage is complex, and difficult to replicate. Usually in cases like these, a flat titanium plate is used to reinforce the structure of the rib cage. These aren't an excellent option: they can come loose, and increase the risk of complications.
But 3D printing is now at a point where it's a viable option for quickly creating custom implants designed specifically for individual patients."
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Here's other articles discussing 3D printing in Oncology.
3D printing will lead to better understanding of cancer pathogenesis, drug discovery and perhaps organ replacement.

How 3-D Printing Can Help To Cure Cancer - April 2014

Cancer with 3D Printing - December 2014

Printing whole organs remains a way off - June 2015

TeVido BioDevices Raises Over $30,000 to Patent Technique to 3D Print Nipples - February 2015