Horsham and Crawley cancer patients among first to benefit from revolutionary new treatment

A Surrey hospital which treats cancer patients from a wide area - including Horsham and Crawley - has launched a revolutionary new radiotherapy treatment.
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The Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford has installed a £2million ground-breaking machine that uses artificial intelligeence to target tumours with extreme precision.

The new Varian Ethos machine is only the second of its type in use in the UK.

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The machine’s AI software helps radiotherapy teams to adapt and update each patient’s treatment plan in real time according to a patient’s anatomy on the day.

Petient Peter Gable and the Ethos radiotherapy machinePetient Peter Gable and the Ethos radiotherapy machine
Petient Peter Gable and the Ethos radiotherapy machine

During treatment patients benefit from calming lighting, music and soothing overhead projections to watch.

Marianne Dabbs, associate director of operations for oncology, said the new machine “has many benefits, including anticipated improved accuracy.

“The environment is a fabulous space to improve experiences of both the patients and staff.

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“There is also the potential for it to reduce the need for some invasive procedures where ‘markers’ are currently inserted to aid tumour location during radiotherapy.”

Peter Gable, 66, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer in April last year, is the first patient to receive the new online adaptive treatment. He said:

“It’s brilliant to have the chance to try out this new treatment with the latest technology.

“It looks a lot less clinical and daunting when I go into the treatment room and I can see how it’s going to make things simpler and easier for me.

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“I really liked seeing the different scenes on the overhead screen in the scanner and being able to choose what music I could listen to as well.”

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Louise Stead, said: “A great deal of work has gone into researching and investing in the best available options to treat our cancer patients and we’re excited to have this ground-breaking technology to help us achieve the very best health outcomes for them.

“We are extremely proud to be in the forefront of radiotherapy treatment and taking advantage of the latest AI software technology.

“There are only ten countries in the world offering this treatment and only one other Trust in the UK.

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“At a time when the NHS is under extreme pressure from the Covid pandemic it is a lovely boost for our patients and staff to launch this new pioneering treatment.”

Ground-breaking Artificial Intelligence radiotherapy machine to target cancer at Royal Surrey

Royal Surrey has launched online adaptive radiotherapy treatment, a revolutionary radiotherapy technique that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to target tumours with extreme precision and provide a personalised plan for cancer patients on each day of their treatment.

The Trust has invested around £2 million in setting up adaptive radiotherapy treatment using the Varian Ethos© machine. The machine is only the second of its type in use in the UK and once fully rolled out will help around 175 patients a year who are affected by cancer.

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The machine’s AI software helps the radiotherapy team adapt and update each patient’s treatment plan in real time according to a patient’s anatomy on the day.

This online adaptive approach to radiotherapy has the potential to improve treatment accuracy and consequently reduce dose delivered to surrounding organs, thereby decreasing radiation side effects.

Patient experience has been at the centre of the design of the treatment room, using SkyInside© ceiling panels and calming lighting to help calm and distract patients during treatment. Patients have a choice of soothing overhead projections to watch, including beautiful underwater scenes, rain forest canopies, cherry blossom trees and starry night skies.

Marianne Dabbs, Associate Director of Operations for Oncology, explains:

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“The Ethos AI software lets us fine tune and tailor patients’ treatments on the day to take into account any changes affecting their body, such as weight gain, or bladder or bowel emptiness compared with when they had their planning scan.

“It has many benefits, including anticipated improved accuracy. The environment is a fabulous space to improve experiences of both the patients and staff. There is also the potential for it to reduce the need for some invasive procedures where ‘markers’ are currently inserted to aid tumour location during radiotherapy.”

Peter Gable, 66, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer in April last year, is the first patient to receive the new online adaptive treatment. He said:

“It’s brilliant to have the chance to try out this new treatment with the latest technology. It looks a lot less clinical and daunting when I go into the treatment room and I can see how it’s going to make things simpler and easier for me.

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“I really liked seeing the different scenes on the overhead screen in the scanner and being able to choose what music I could listen to as well.”

Louise Stead, Chief Executive of Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“A great deal of work has gone into researching and investing in the best available options to treat our cancer patients and we’re excited to have this ground-breaking technology to help us achieve the very best health outcomes for them.

“We are extremely proud to be in the forefront of radiotherapy treatment and taking advantage of the latest AI software technology. There are only ten countries in the world offering this treatment and only one other Trust in the UK.

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“At a time when the NHS is under extreme pressure from the Covid pandemic it is a lovely boost for our patients and staff to launch this new pioneering treatment.”

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust is a multi-site acute and community Trust, based in Guildford, which serves a population of more than 336,000 across south west Surrey; and a tertiary cancer centre, offering state of the art diagnostic and treatment services to a population of two million.

Each year approximately 90,000 patients are admitted for treatment, around 81,000 attended our Emergency Department and we deliver 3,000 babies.

The Trust has been rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for being caring, effective and safe, and well led, and ‘Outstanding’ for being responsive to people’s needs, our maternity services, use of resources, medical care (including older people’s care) and end of life care.

For further information, please contact the Press Office

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