North Mid invests in pioneering radiotherapy machine providing faster treatment
A new state-of-the-art radiotherapy machine providing faster results with high accuracy and more convenience to patients has been unwrapped today Monday 4 December just in time for Christmas.
The new linear accelerator machine can CT scan and treat cancer patients within ten to fifteen minutes, significantly faster than our other radiotherapy machines. The machine is designed to achieve high quality care by providing rapid image-guided radiotherapy, allowing radiographers to treat patients quickly with millimetre precision.
What this could mean for patients is an experience that includes shorter treatment times, and a calmer, quieter, less intimidating atmosphere in the treatment room.
The machine is designed to improve the experience of the clinical staff with its simplified, easy to follow set up. This allows therapeutic radiographers to focus on precision through image guidance to ensure accurate pinpoint treatments, while also allowing them to spend more time with patient’s assessing any symptoms and wellbeing.
The Trust also benefits as the Halcyon is a step towards our sustainability goals. Typical electrical usage for the Halcyon is about half that of a standard high-energy linear accelerator during beam-on and stand-by modes, resulting in low electricity consumption.
Chris Stacey, head of radiotherapy physics, and Sharif Shaykhoun, head of radiotherapy, jointly said: “The installation of our new Halcyon Linac, “Kingfisher”, will bring additional leading-edge, technical radiotherapy for our cancer patients, while adding innovation and efficiencies to the cancer pathway. The streamlined workflow will enable shorter treatment times, improved patient experience, and greater treatment capacity in the radiotherapy service. This development is indicative of our ambition and direction, and of the Trust’s commitment to advancing world-class radiotherapy to our local population and beyond. It is an important step on the path to fully adaptive radiotherapy and a significant addition to our service at North Mid.”