Cancer patients in Tayside are to get better access to high-tech radiotherapy that “wasn’t even feasible” just a few years ago.
Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) allows for high doses to be given with extreme precision, lessening side effects and reducing recovery time.
The latest machines are capable of making the tiniest adjustments to account for the day-to-day changes in a patient’s body – right down to how full their stomach might be.
SABR has been used in Aberdeen since 2018, and the Health Secretary has announced a £1.5 million investment to roll it out further.
Cancer centres in Dundee, Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow will all benefit from the new 13-point National Radiotherapy Plan, announced today to boost the service through to 2025.
SABR tech is life-changing for patients
The new technology will change the lives of many patients – offering even more people “a life after a cancer diagnosis.”
Around 40% of people who require cancer treatment will get some form of radiotherapy – the second-most effective intervention after surgery.
The SABR – pronounced “saber” – investment is expected to at least double the number of patients currently treated.
Dr John McLellan, head of radiotherapy physics at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, says: “This is giving patients new options for treatment they didn’t have previously.
‘We can offer many patients a cure’
“SABR is for disease that has limited spread and we can now offer many patients a cure or long-term palliation.
“It’s a big step forward.”
Additionally, the hospital is now home to the Varian Ethos – the first machine of its kind to be installed in Scotland, and third in the UK.
Dr McLellan explains: “This allows us to do bespoke treatments that adapt day-to-day to changes in the anatomy.
“One day their stomach might be a bit fuller, their anatomy isn’t quite the same as it was the day before.
“This machine has the computer power to adapt the treatment every single day so it can deliver even more precise treatments and avoid nasty side effects.”
Will this cut waiting times?
Mr Yousaf saw the new machines while visiting Aberdeen Royal Infirmary this week.
He said: “The tech I’ve seen here is the leading edge of innovation.
“The consultants were describing not just how innovative it is, but how this SABR treatment can improve lives quite considerably.”
Mr Yousaf says this is crucial not just for cancer patients in the north-east, but the NHS as a whole, as it recovers from Covid.
“The fewer number of times we can see people, and the shorter the period of time they need to stay in hospital, all helps with the accumulative pressure of the last two years,” he says.
“But I’ve also got to be up front and honest with people – the recovery for the NHS is not going to take a matter of weeks or even a few months.
“It’s going to take years, and innovation and investment in technology is a key and critical component.”
