Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) is set to benefit from a new radiotherapy machine that will help cancer patients receive faster treatment.
The new £2.4m machine will be the third Radixact radiotherapy system at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. It means there will be a total of 8 linear accelerator machines (linacs) when it becomes operational next year.
The new system will be used to treat many complex cancers, including head, neck and gynaecological tumours. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the machines can precisely target tumours, causing less damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
Dr Hugo Ford, Director of Cancer Services at CUH, said:
We are delighted to be receiving a new state-of-the-art radiotherapy machine, offering advanced technology to our patients, so that we can continue to deliver more efficient targeted treatments to cancer patients with less side-effects.
Dr Hugo Ford, Director of Cancer Services at CUH,
“We offer a specialist radiotherapy service to cancer patients from across East Anglia, so it’s great news some will now be seen faster, need fewer rounds of treatment, and spend less time travelling into hospital.
“Turbocharging treatment for patients to get cancers diagnosed earlier and treated more precisely is the future of cancer medicine, and at the forefront of care at our new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, planned for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.”
The Trust is one of 28 hospitals across the country that the government is equipping with the modern technology, as part of a £70million national investment.
The investment comes as Addenbrooke's Hospital has begun offering shorter courses of higher-intensity radiotherapy treatment for some men with prostate cancer.
This means that suitable patients now receive just five treatments across two weeks, instead of up to 20 sessions over several weeks, freeing up clinic space so other cancer patients can start treatments quicker.
There is a revolution taking place in medical technology which can transform treatment for cancer patients. “As a cancer survivor, I know just how important timely treatment is. These machines are part of the investment and modernisation that will cut waiting times for patients, through our Plan for Change.
Wes Streeting, Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting
The Health and Social Care Secretary said: “It will also increase the availability of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) cancer treatments, which can more precisely target tumours.”
NHS national clinical director for cancer Professor Peter Johnson said:
“These machines will deliver more precise treatment for patients, which helps them to recover sooner, as well as enabling the NHS to treat people more efficiently as we continue in our efforts to catch and treat more cancers faster.
“The new LINAC radiotherapy machines were allocated across England by Specialised Commissioning teams at NHS England, which will help to improve health inequalities by ensuring every radiotherapy service has the modern equipment needed to offer innovative radiotherapy treatments.
“Patients are also getting easier access to vital tests, checks and scans, with Community Diagnostic Centres delivering almost 2.5 million on high streets and at other convenient locations in March.”
The announcement follows the installation of two other new radiotherapy machines which offer Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) to patients and were introduced at CUH last year.