Rosemere's £1.3m new radiotherapy treatment appeal: What is it, who will it help and how much has been raised so far?

The cancer charity’s silver jubilee 25 Years Anniversary Guiding Light Appeal has just grown by £24,200 thanks in part to donations from Rosemere’s Walk in the Dark fund-raising event.

The appeal aims to bring SGRT – Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment – to Rosemere Cancer Centre at Royal Preston Hospital.

Here is everything you need to know about the appeal - from who it will help to how you can get involved.

What is the 25 Years Anniversary Guiding Light Appeal?

The appeal, which launched in May to mark Rosemere Cancer Centre’s and Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s joint silver jubilee, has a £1.3 million target to bring SGRT – Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment – to the cancer centre this summer.

What is Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment (SGRT)?

SGRT uses a near infra-red guiding light system to pinpoint with sub-mm precision the exact site at which radiation beams need to be targeted during radiotherapy treatment to best deliver a cancer destroying optimum dose of treatment while reducing the risk of damage to surrounding healthy cells.

SGRT also reduces the need for multiple positioning scans, which in turn reduces patients’ overall exposure to radiation.

It does away with the need for permanent positioning tattoos on patients’ skin prior to radiotherapy treatment.

Who will benefit from the treatment?

Approximately 240 patients a day, five days a week, receive radiotherapy at the centre. Of these, 35 per cent are from Preston and South Ribble, 22 per cent from East

Lancs, 20 per cent from the Fylde and 19 per cent from North Lancs and South Cumbria.

Where can patients recieve SGRT?

Rosemere Cancer Centre will become only the second cancer centre in the North West (second to just The Christie in Manchester) to provide SGRT and only the 15th out of the UK’s 65 specialist cancer centres.

Dan Hill, chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “SGRT will benefit every radiotherapy patient. Our aim is to have it installed in six of the cancer centre’s seven radiotherapy treatment rooms and one CT scanner room by the end of the summer. Breast cancer patients will be the first to benefit.”

Where have donations come in from so far?

This year’s Rosemere Cancer Foundation Walk in the Dark, which was held at the end of April, raised a total of £23,600 for the charity.

Some 250 walkers of all ages from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria took park in the 11-mile trek from Chorley and South Ribble Hospital to Rosemere Cancer Centre at the Royal Preston Hospital.

The funds raised in entry fees and sponsorship are being put towards the charity’s 25 Years Anniversary Guiding Light Appeal.

What does Rosemere Cancer Foundation say about the appeal?

Rosemere’s Dan Hill added: “We wanted to do something special to mark our latest milestone birthday and we felt that this couldn’t be topped given the numbers of patients SGRT will benefit.

“We will run the appeal along the exact same lines as our previous birthday appeal, which means we will take delivery of the SGRT equipment first and pay it off as donations come in. We are obviously very grateful to its manufacturer, Vision RT, for enabling us to do this.”

What is Rosemere Cancer Foundation and Rosemere Cancer Centre?

Rosemere Cancer Foundation was founded when the cancer centre first opened in 1997. The Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria.

An estimated 11,000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer annually across the region. Of these, many will receive treatment plans involving radiotherapy, which can be used in the treatment of breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel and bladder cancers, as well as head and neck cancers such as throat cancer.

How can I help?

For further information about making a donation to the 25 Years Anniversary Guiding Light Appeal, visit www.rosemere.org.uk