“It’s a very difficult context but we have some marvellous successes.”
“Initially I hesitated between studying pure science or medicine, but having contact with patients suited me much better,” says 34-year-old Dr Audrey Claren, a radiation oncologist at the Centre Antoine Lacassagne, a state-of-the-art cancer clinic. “Our radiotherapy department is Europe’s leading technical resource, and to stay ahead of the field we’ve also installed world-unique high-energy proton-beam equipment. We specialise in treating children with cancer,” explains the woman who has taken her specialisation to heart. “In France some 2000 children a year are diagnosed with cancer and around 500 need radiation therapy.” Audrey is a gentle young woman but nonetheless a fighter utterly determined to do her very best for her little patients and their families at the Institut Méditerranéen de Protonthérapie. Proton-beam therapy is an ultra-precise technique for treating tumours in the vicinity of sensitive organs. “It’s a very difficult context but we have some marvellous successes. Our challenge is halting the disease while limiting the side effects on growth and development.” Tenacity is something Audrey knows about, for she herself had a life-changing experience. “When I was still a student at Nice University I had a car accident and lost some mobility in my left hand. I remember my lecturers and all the students in my class coming to visit me in hospital, where I underwent seven operations. Those are things you never forget, that make you grow up all of a sudden.” Before, she was a high-grade gymnast, today she travels the world with her husband. Working in a multi-discipline healthcare team, Audrey hasn’t abandoned her test tubes either. “Oncology is a constantly developing discipline with a huge amount of research going on. So in fact I combine the two aspects, and feel I’m being useful.”
Audrey Claren stands in front of a mask for treating brain tumours. It copies Spiderman’s face to make children feel strong.
Par Tanja Stojanov / Photo Jean-Michel Sordello
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