Release issued 9th July 2009

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release:

(LONDON, Ontario) -.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and Lawson Health Research Institute
(Lawson) are pleased to announce a Canadian first in the treatment of lung
cancer. On May 13, 2009 surgeon and clinical researcher Dr. Richard Malthaner
and oncologist Dr. Edward Yu removed a small wedge from Wes O'Grady's lung
and then applied a surgical mesh interwoven with brachytherapy seeds to where
the lung was resected. Brachytherapy is the use of small radioactive seeds to treat
cancer. They look like metallic grains of rice and the ones used in this operation
are normally employed to treat prostate cancer. This treatment was done as part
of a clinical trial at Lawson.

Dr. Malthaner describes: "The current standard is to perform a lobectomy or the
removal of a much larger section of lung and these patients suffer serious side
effects like fatigue and shortness of breath which can really affect their quality of
life. By removing a smaller part of the lung and adding the brachytherapy to kill
stray cancer cells, we anticipate patients will be cured of their cancer and have a
better quality of life after treatment."

Adds Dr. Yu: "Normally, our respective disciplines refer to one another but rarely
do we have the opportunity to cooperate at this level and offer one treatment
combining both the modalities of surgery and radiation".

After receiving approval for the clinical trial from the Ethics Review Board and
investigating at the Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics'
surgical training facilities, Drs. Malthaner and Yu sought funding for the
brachytherapy seeds, which are only paid for by the system to treat a handful of
cancers. The manufacturer Oncura Brachytherapy agreed to donate the seeds, not
only for this operation but for all procedures done at LHSC as part of this clinical
trial.

Mr. O'Grady 83, of Windsor Ont. is recuperating normally from the operation and
plans to resume team sports in the fall: "I am still a little sore around the ribs but
otherwise I feel great."

LHSC is the only Canadian hospital participating in this North American clinical
trial. Video footage and photographs of the surgery will be made available for
media. A vignette of the surgery can be viewed at LHSC's website
www.lhsc.on.ca. To arrange for media interviews, please contact
Stephan Beckhoff, Communications Consultant at the London Health Sciences
Centre.

About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for over
130 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario.
Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an
academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to South Street
Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital and Children's Hospital, two family medical
centres, and Lawson Health Research Institute - a joint research initiative with St Joseph's
Health Care, London. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health
Sciences Centre has a history of over 30 international and national firsts and attracts top
clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London
Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically
injured adults and children in Southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital's 10,000
staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient
visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca

About Lawson Health Research Institute
As the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care,
London, and working in partnership with The University of Western Ontario, Lawson
Health Research Institute is committed to furthering scientific knowledge to advance
health care around the world.

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For more information contact:
Stephan Beckhoff
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
519-685-8500, ext. 74772
stephan.beckhoff@lhsc.on.ca

After-hours assistance:
Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication
consultant on-call
Visit the LHSC Media web site at www.lhsc.on.ca/media

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