The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) has invested more than £1.8 million in the latest technology to help in the fight against cancer.
A new linear accelerator (LINAC) machine is now in use in The Deanesly Centre at New Cross Hospital for radiotherapy, with each arc of treatment taking 90 seconds rather than five to 10 minutes, as was previously experienced.
After a 3D scan of the tumour treatment area is taken, the patient’s couch is automatically repositioned after the image review, then external beam radiation is given by the LINAC machine.
As the machine rotates around the patient, the beam dynamically changes shape based on the patient’s personalised plan attacking the cancer cells while having minimal effect on surrounding tissue and organs.
Stephen West, head of radiotherapy at RWT, said: “This is world class equipment. Radiotherapy is an incredibly effective treatment and we are delighted to be able to use the LINAC equipment in our fight against cancer.
“What the linear accelerator allows us to do is to treat the cancer cells and reduce the toxicity to the patient’s surrounding tissues, enabling the dose to vital organs to be reduced, resulting in less toxicity and improvement in targeting the cancer.
“The shorter treatment time we can now offer with the new LINAC equipment is better for the comfort of the patient and reduces any inaccuracies which could be caused by the patient moving.”
