Charity’s investment helps cancer centre become SGRT centre of excellence

The department, which treats approximately 240 cancer patients a day five days a week, is now preparing to host radiotherapy teams from the country’s other 64 specialist cancer centres looking to develop their own SGRT programmes.

Rosemere Cancer Centre introduced SGRT, an advanced non invasive set up and monitoring tool used to improve the efficacy and experience of radiotherapy, to six of its eight radiotherapy treatment rooms and its CT scanner room in March 2023 after Rosemere Cancer Foundation spent £1.3 million on equipment.

Its purchase made Rosemere Cancer Centre the biggest single site SGRT centre in the whole country and launched a roll-out SGRT programme that started with a small number of breast cancer patients.

A further £405,000 investment by the charity this year means that now all eight radiotherapy treatment rooms and another CT scanner are SGRT compliant.

All breast cancer patients, all lung cancer patients and all palliative care patients now use SGRT during their radiotherapy treatment, while SGRT is set to replace conventional radiotherapy for all patients needing radiotherapy treatment for gynaecological, prostate, bowel and bladder cancers in a roll-out programme starting in January.

Dan Hill, chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation and head of hospital charities at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted that Rosemere Cancer Centre has become one of the first specialist cancer centres in the country to achieve SGRT centre of excellence status.

“SGRT has many benefits to both patients and radiotherapy team staff. It’s a non invasive mapping system that uses a near infra-red light to better position patients so that their radiotherapy treatment is delivered with improved accuracy and speed. This reduces the risks of side-effects caused by damage to the surrounding area and from overall exposure to radiation from repeat positioning scans and exposure during the actual treatment process.”

Dan continued: “Patients no longer need to have tattoos as treatment guide marks and there is less physical handling, which is better for patient dignity and better also for staff back health and efficiency.”

The centre’s principal therapeutic radiographer Lisa Laws said: “Patients appreciate not having to have tattoos, which can be a permanent reminder of their treatment. Staff find treatment delivery faster and easier and with a reduced risk of handling strains from having to move patients. We are very grateful to Rosemere Cancer Foundation and all its supporters for helping us to be one of SGRT’s early adopters.”

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, the region’s specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and also at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties.

The charity funds cutting-edge equipment like that needed for SGRT, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients’ cancer journey more effective, comfortable and stress-free. For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk