A less invasive treatment option is coming for some lung cancer patients in New Brunswick.

It is through a new partnership between Horizon Health, the Extra-Mural Program, ResearchNB, and Roche Canada.

The initiative will see some lung cancer patients treated at home by using subcutaneous injection.

Up until now, patients were required to travel to a hospital to receive treatment via an IV infusion formulation, which can take up to one hour.

The newer formulation will be administered by nurses with the province’s Extra-Mural Program in about seven minutes.

Health officials say benefits include reduced treatment time, as well as potentially less discomfort and pain for patients.

The new approach may also free up valuable time and resources for health-care system operations.

Officials said the initiative originated with a research study led by Horizon medical oncologists Dr. Mahmoud Abdelsalam, Dr. Luisa Galvis, and Dr. James Michael.