New form of radiotherapy set to help cancer patients

Conventional radiotherapy uses high energy beams of radiation to destroy cancerous cells, but surrounding tissue can also be damaged. Here, looks at a new targetted form of radiotherapy coming to Wales next year

Proton beam therapy first hit the headlines when the parents of brain cancer patient Aysha King took their son from hospital without consent to get the pioneering treatment abroad.

Following a manhunt, the couple ended up spending three nights in a Spanish jail accused of neglect, only to be freed after an outcry.

And Ashya’s proton therapy treatment – at first refused by the NHS which was then ordered to pay for it – cured his illness after 30 sessions at a clinic in Prague.

Three years on from the saga, it has been announced that the technology will soon be coming to Wales. undergoing the installation of the single room Proteus®ONE proton beam therapy system.

Worldwide, there has been a rapid expansion in demand for proton beam therapy, however, only a small proportion of cancer patients have access to the treatment because of its limited availability.

Due to its precision and ability to target tumours more directly, proton beam therapy is said to have delivered “significant results” for patients, especially in lowering side effects.

At present, a small number of patients from the UK who require the treatment are sent abroad at a significant cost, financially and emotionally. therapy. Due to its precision and accuracy, research has highlighted that proton beam therapy is particularly good for treating cancers in children and can effectively treat hard-to-reach cancers in the brain or near the spinal cord.

Every cancer patient is different, and therefore the Rutherford Cancer Centres has vowed to provide a “holistic cancer service”, offering proton beam therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and imaging to ensure patients receive a treatment plan tailored to their specific needs.

The therapy uses a high energy beam of protons, rather than X-rays, to deliver high doses of radiation to cancerous tumours.

It is easily controlled and delivers its maximum dose at a precise depth, meaning that proton beam therapy is able to target cancers deep inside the body more precisely and spares critical surrounding tissue. Using the most advanced medical technology on the market, the Rutherford Cancer Centre has recently opened its doors to offer conventional cancer treatments to patients, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and imaging. Dedicated supportive care is also available to all patients.

The single room Proteus®ONE proton beam therapy system is currently undergoing installation and is expected to be operational in spring 2018.

The world leading cancer centre, which is named after renowned scientist Ernest Rutherford’s contribution in identifying and naming the proton in 1911, will be the first centre in the UK to offer high-energy proton beam therapy.

It’s located at Celtic Springs Business Park in Newport.

The centres will also offer external beam radiotherapy, chemotherapy, imaging (including MRI and CT) and supportive care services.

The centre will treat up to 500 patients annually and treatment will be available to patients referred by the NHS, medically-insured private patients and self-paying patients.

Mike Moran, chief executive officer of Proton Partners International, said: “We are offering an all-encompassing cancer service, as every patient is different and requires a unique treatment plan.

“Our south Wales centre recently opened to receive referrals for conventional treatments and now the technical ‘heart’ of our centres has started to beat as the installation of our high energy proton beam therapy machine is under way.

“Our mission is to make the best cancer care accessible to patients across the country, and although the UK has been a bit late in adopting high energy proton beam therapy, we are going to be equipped with the most advanced treatment system available.

“There is a growing need for proton beam therapy treatment around the world, as it has been shown to deliver significant results for patients. Its effectiveness at lowering side-effects compared to traditional radiation treatment, is transforming the lives of many thousands of cancer patients.”