CUH is one of 17 radiotherapy centres in Britain chosen by NHS England to provide the specialist radiotherapy, known as Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), to patients suffering with benign or malignant brain tumours.
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a non-surgical radiation therapy used to treat functional abnormalities and small tumours of the brain.
Thanks to funding from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, building work is currently underway for the installation of the state-of-the-art machine to deliver the SRS – the TrueBeam™ STx with Novalis® Radiosurgery – and the service will be up-and-running later this year.
It is expected to treat between 150-200 cases each year and will benefit patients in the East of England who currently have to travel to London or further for this treatment.
The advanced ‘Linear Accelerator Technology’, from Varian and Brainlab, allows the radiation to be administered in fewer high-dose treatments than traditional therapy which can help preserve healthy tissue.
Dr Raj Jena, academic consultant clinical oncologist and lead clinician for SRS at CUH, said: “The new Novalis® Radiosurgery system will allow us to offer fast, safe and effective radiotherapy to a wider range of patients than we have been able to treat in the past.
“Patients from our region who previously had to travel to London or Sheffield will be able to receive state-of-the-art radiosurgery treatment closer to home.”
Image: The TrueBeam™ STx with Novalis® Radiosurgery which will treat 150-200 cases each year
*TrueBeam is a trademark of Varian Medical Systems
About Cambridge University Hospitals
Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) is one of the largest and best known hospitals in the country, delivering high-quality patient care through Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie Hospitals. CUH is a leading national centre for specialist treatment for rare or complex conditions and a university teaching hospital with a worldwide reputation.
CUH is a key partner in Cambridge University Health Partners (CUHP), one of only six academic health science centres in the UK, and is at the heart of the development of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC), which brings together on one site world-class biomedical research, patient care and education. As part of the Campus development, Papworth Hospital is creating a bespoke, purpose-built hospital, and AstraZeneca is building a new global R&D centre and corporate headquarters. The Campus is one of the government’s 11 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) comprehensive biomedical research centres.
The Trust already works closely with a number of research partners across the Campus, for example, the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the University of Cambridge and The Wellcome Trust, to develop new drugs and new therapies to improve treatment and patient care.
About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, focuses energy on saving lives by equipping the world with advanced technology for fighting cancer and for X-ray imaging. The company is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiation. The company provides comprehensive solutions for radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is also a premier supplier of X-ray imaging components, including tubes, digital detectors, cables and connectors as well as image processing software and workstations for use in medical and industrial settings, as well as for security and non-destructive testing. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 7,700 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.
About Brainlab
Brainlab, headquartered in Munich, develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology, enabling access to advanced, less invasive patient treatments. Core products center on information-guided surgery, radiosurgery, precision radiation therapy, digital operating room integration, and information and knowledge exchange. Brainlab technology powers treatments in radiosurgery and radiotherapy as well as numerous surgical fields including neurosurgery, orthopedic, ENT, CMF, spine and trauma. Privately held since its formation in Munich, Germany in 1989, Brainlab has more than 9,000 systems installed in about 100 countries. Brainlab employs 1,300 people in 18 offices worldwide, including 320 Research & Development engineers, who form a crucial part of the product development team. To learn more, visit www.brainlab.com
Contacts:
CUH Corporate Communications
Communications Department, Box 146
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ
Tel: 01223 274433
Email: press@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
www.facebook.com/CambridgeUniversityHospitals
Varian Medical Systems – Neil Madle, neil.madle@varian.com
Brainlab - Mark West, Mark.west@brainlab.com