Award over ‘tattoo-free’ patients
RADIOGRAPHERS at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust are using a state-of-the-art technique to treat cancer patients more effectively, without leaving them with permanent reminders of what they have been through.
Surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) targets tumours even more accurately than previous techniques but, crucially, doesn’t rely on marks being left on the skin to do this, meaning patients are not left with these “tattoos” following their treatment.
Having these marks can have a big impact on the wellbeing of a patient, especially where the dots are more visible.
SGRT uses thermal cameras to map out an image of the patient’s skin surface before treatment begins, so that all the radiation can be directed into the right areas with pinpoint accuracy, with the technique taking less time to complete, whilst also reducing the amount of imaging required.
The technique has been offered at Royal Derby Hospital since the summer.
Dave Pilborough, superintendent radiographer, said: “We’re extremely pleased to now be able to offer SGRT, which has had a great impact on treatment times for our patients. With this system, we have a lot more control over where the patient is lying.
“We also don’t need to leave marks on the skin whilst using this technique, which has been a great relief to our patients, especially those with breast cancer, where the tattoos can be quite visible.”
The radiotherapy team worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get the trust in a position to be able to implement SGRT without tattoos straight away from day one by training staff up in advance. UHDB was the first NHS trust in the country to achieve this feat, with system providers Visionrt recognising the achievement by presenting the team with a Mark Free Award..