New machines set to help fight cancer
Cancer survival rates are now at their highest
LEICESTER’S hospitals will receive new radiotherapy machines as part of a £200 million NHS drive to improve local cancer services.
The city’s hospitals will be part of the first wave of 15 NHS Trusts to benefit from a major national investment in the new linear accelerator (LINAC) machines.
Speaking at the Britain Against Cancer conference in London today, NHS chief executive for England, Simon Stevens, says that cancer survival rates are now at their highest ever.
The NHS funding will help hospitals to diagnose cancer earlier, and to help people live well with and beyond cancer.
Mr Stevens said: “Across the country, the NHS is now making great strides in upgrading modern cancer radiotherapy equipment and ensuring faster access to the most promising new cancer drugs.
“Because the quality of NHS cancer care has improved so much over the past year, an extra two thousand families will be able to celebrate the Christmas holiday with a loved one who has successfully survived cancer.
“It’s an enormous tribute to dedicated nurses, doctors, scientists and patients organisations that we are on track to save 30,000 more lives a year from cancer.”
The LINAC is a radiotherapy machine which uses high energy x-rays for the treatment of cancer.
David Peel, head of service for Oncology at Leicester’s Hospitals, added: “We are delighted to receive this funding from NHS England.
“This will enable the replacement of a 10-year-old linear accelerator with a Varian Truebeam LINAC, enabling state-ofthe-art radiotherapy to be offered here in Leicester, such as Stereotactic techniques.
“Funding will also be put towards an upgrade in the IT infrastructure enabling us to network with our regional colleagues around the East Midlands and streamline the radiotherapy planning process.”