Hospital gets new tech
St Andrew’s improves cancer aid
A TOOWOOMBA hospital has bought new equipment which will enable doctors to better detect cancer.
St Andrew’s Toowoomba Hospital bought an endoscopic ultrasound to help better diagnose cancer and abnormalities of internal organs in the chest and upper abdomen.
The new equipment has been installed in the recently completed procedure room within the St Andrew’s theatre complex at a cost more than $250,000.
Previously patients in Toowoomba and the Darling Downs were required to travel to Brisbane for the procedure, delaying diagnoses and treatment.
The endoscopic ultrasound combines endoscopy with ultrasound which is used to visualise the walls of gastrointestinal organs.
St Andrew’s Toowoomba Hospital gastroenterologist Andrew St John said the new equipment would be beneficial to obtain images and to perform biopsies of internal organs.
“The endoscopic ultrasound can assist in the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic, oesophageal and gastric cancers, as well as benign tumours of the upper gastrointestinal tract,” Dr St John said.
“The technique is highly sensitive for detection of pancreatic cancer with up to 95 per cent sensitivity, particularly in patients who are suspected to have a mass or present with jaundice.”
St Andrew’s Toowoomba Hospital chief executive officer Ray Fairweather said the introduction of new surgical equipment improved safety and accuracy was of high priority to the hospital.
“We have made significant investment in our surgical technology and facilities over the recent years to ensure that patients in the region receive the very latest cancer treatment available,” Mr Fairweather said.
“The significance of this milestone positions St Andrew’s Toowoomba Hospital at the forefront of cancer detection and treatment in the region.”