Cancer treatment boosted by latest radiotherapy machines

Two new treatment machines are being set up in the Leeds Cancer Centre at St James’s Hospital in Leeds which is one of the first in the world to use the equipment as part of a partnership with manufacturer Elekta.

The hospital, which provides more than 7,000 courses of radiotherapy each year to people in West Yorkshire and surrounding areas of North Yorkshire as well as others from further afield, is a research site for the firm’s technology which aims to provide faster and more accurate treatment and Leeds patients had been the first in the world to benefit as part of clinical studies with the equipment.

The two new machines, unveiled globally in March, are designed to treat a broader spectrum of cancers. The first patients are due to be treated next month.

Vivian Cosgrove, head of radiotherapy physics at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “As one of the leading cancer centres in the UK we have taken opportunities to work with the suppliers of our equipment, to help them develop and test new and faster ways to deliver patient care and improve treatment.

“Our relationship with Elekta allows us to be involved in the development of new products.

“We are able to work on prototype versions of equipment and software in a controlled, clinical environment; to test the technology; and to provide feedback. This allows us to prepare the clinical service for the new technology and new techniques, so that we are ready to use them as soon as they are officially released.”

Radiotherapy manager Julie Owens said: “This latest equipment is a tremendously exciting step forward in terms of improving cancer treatment and potential outcomes. Patients from the Yorkshire region being treated here in Leeds will therefore be some of the very first to have access to the next generation of radiotherapy equipment.

“With the new equipment, patients with conditions such as lung cancer can be given high doses of radiation in the most targeted and accurate way possible. Treatment which once took 15 minutes will come down to as little as two minutes.

“This means treatment is less stressful for patients and the shorter time means that it can be targeted more accurately, as there is less likelihood of the patient moving during the radiotherapy. Shorter treatment times will also ensure more patients can benefit from each daily session.”