Peterborough City Hospital has become the latest site to offer Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy, which offers high doses of radiation over a shorter period of time.
The radiotherapy department at the hospital has offered the treatment, known as SABR, for the treatment of bone and lymph node oligometastases – small, secondary cancers that are few in number, or one solitary lesion.
SABR uses very high treatment doses over a short period of time to shrink and eliminate lesions in cases deemed suitable by the clinical oncologists.
'Lengthy and stringent process'
Jaak Joe, lead SABR dosimetrist, has been instrumental in the “lengthy and stringent process”, a spokesperson for the hospital said.
Mr Joe added: “Offering this service locally is vital for patients in our area. NHS England has been expanding the service for SABR for a number of years and after being accredited through a rigorous validation process, the radiotherapy department at Peterborough City Hospital has now successfully implemented in the department as a standard technique.”
The technique complements the already well-established lung SABR service, offering very high dose curative treatments to early-stage lung tumours.
Specialist care closer to home
Patients eligible to benefit from the treatment are already on the cancer pathway, and can be referred by their oncology consultant if they meet certain criteria.
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust can now offer the treatment to patients in its catchment area, allowing them to receive specialist care closer to home, and preventing them from needing to travel further afield.
Trust staff already meet the standard required to plan and deliver this treatment.
Key team members in the accreditation include: Stephanie Wagstaff, lead SABR radiographer; Dr Nicole Jessop, head of QA and dosimetry from medical physics; consultant oncologists, Dr Katie Jephcott and Dr Aristoula Papakostidi; and Paula Jones, clinical operations manager for radiotherapy.
Peterborough City Hospital, Rutland and Stamford Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon are all part of North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust.
(Image: Members of the PCH Radiotherapy Team left to right; Stephanie Wagstaff, Lead SABR Radiographer, Jaak Joe, Lead SABR dosimetrist, Sidrah Zaid, Radiographer, Dr Nicole Jessop Head of QA and Dosimetry from Medical Physics and Laura Stewart, Assistant Practitioner.)