Cnet reports on how a cancer patient was helped with this new technology. The media has had stories about how 3d printing and the newest technologies can change our lives. From your doctor having the tools to do an EKG on their IPhone, to 3d printing that may allow your doctor to custom fit a new joint that was more like the old one when it was healthy, the future is here. Cnet recently reported about a cancer survivor who had part of his rib cage removed due to the disease. Using the technology designed by in Anatomics, a Melbourne, Australia-based medical device company who designed and manufactured the implant. Doctors designed and then printed prosthetic ribs that were custom made for this patient using 3d printing, which is available to the public now. The ribs are especially unique because they must be movable to allow for breathing to occur. Designing any type of replacement ribs must allow for this type of movement when installed. Check out this Cnet story: Cancer patient receives 3D-printed sternum and ribs In the first surgical operation of its kind, a cancer patient has been fitted with a 3D-printed titanium sternum and ribs. For the first time, a patient has received a custom, 3D-printed titanium implant to replace part of his rib cage. The 54-year-old Spanish man had chest wall sarcoma, a cancerous tumour that grows in the chest wall and, in this case, had grown around his sternum and part of his rib cage. To excise the tumour completely, surgeons also had to remove that part of his skeleton. The rib cage also 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. Read more