A hospital which became the first in the country to get an advanced new £1.9 million machine to treat cancer patients has taken delivery of another.
In July 2018 Addenbrooke’s Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, began treating patients using a “Radixact radio therapy delivery system” to help those suffering from a wide variety of cancers including prostate, breast, neck and head.
Now Addenbrooke’s has a second Radixact system which is expected to go live in January 2019. Specialist software means clinicians can adapt delivery to changes in tumour size, shape and location and the system is so precise some re-occurring cancers can be treated.
The identical systems mean the radiotherapy department, which sees more than 4000 new patients a year from all over the region, can offer the treatment to even more.
The systems complement other high-tech equipment in the department, enabling clinicians to select the most suitable treatment for each patient.
CUH is an internationally renowned teaching hospital and a designated healthcare science centre. In addition to being the local hospital for Cambridgeshire, it is a regional centre for patients with rarer types of cancer.
Professional head of radiotherapy, Jemma Chapman, said: “Having a second Radixact System means that we are able to offer this treatment to more patients and ensure continuity of treatment.
“In combination with our other treatment machines, we are able to offer state-of-the art radiotherapy to a wide variety of patients from across the East of England”
