Patient praises revolutionary cancer treatment
Cancer patient Valerie Evans has praised an innovative form of radiotherapy, saying it has saved her life. 65-year-old Valerie, of Cheddleton, near Leek, was the first patient to complete a course of ‘SABR’ (Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy) at UHNM last year. Staff have this week celebrated one year of the revolutionary treatment at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Valerie Evans, patient, with Dr Apurna Jegannathen, at the cancer centre at Royal Stoke University Hospital
Valerie was disgnosed with lung cancer after a tumour 1.5cm in size was discovered on her lung.
Today, Valerie has spoken of her progress and of her appreciation for the work of the cancer team at UHNM.
Valerie said: “My tumour has shrunk and it’s still shrinking. I’m now looking forward to a future which prior to the treatment I wouldn’t have had.
“I would definitely encourage people to have the SABR treatment. It’s not physically intrusive and it’s painless.
“I was astounded by the size of the team working on my treatment. I had no idea there were physicists and all sorts of people involved. It’s a massive planning process. I remember the team very fondly, they were so incredibly kind and supportive. I was always anxious before a session but as soon as I walked in I was put so at ease it helped enormously. I’m very happy with the treatment I received and the people I’ve met."
UHNM became the first in the region to offer SABR to patients following the introduction of the national expansion programme.
The treatment involves administering a concentrated dose of radiation to the tumour, which helps to limit damage to surrounding organs.
SABR has various advantages over conventional radiotherapy, with clinicians able to exercise more control over specific areas of the body, meaning the cancer is less likely to return within that area.
Survival rates are better with the use of SABR and an entire course of treatment can be delivered within three-to-eight visits, making the treatment easier and more convenient for patients.
Treatment sessions are held on alternate days throughout the week and patients have weekends free to rest in between.
Valerie underwent just five 40-minute sessions of SABR.
Tracy Bullock, chief executive, said: “It’s fantastic that we have been able to celebrate a year of this treatment being available to our patients at UHNM. Before, people would have to travel all the way to Birmingham or central Manchester, so the fact that it is now available right here in Stoke is wonderful. The cancer team are extremely dedicated and have worked tirelessly to move things along. We are now in a place where we can say that cutting-edge cancer treatment comes as standard at UHNM.”
Staff gathered to celebrate one year of SABR (Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy) being available for patients at UHNM
Dr Apurna Jegannathen, Consultant Oncologist, said: “Valerie is doing remarkably well now.
“It feels extremely good to be celebrating the first anniversary along with Valerie. She is a star patient and has been absolutely brilliant all the way through, we’re very proud of her. She put her trust and faith in us and even when some natural anxiety kicked in, she stayed totally calm.
“As clinicians, this was our first ‘hands-on’ experience of delivering SABR. From gathering patient consent to delivering the treatment, we have carried out the whole process with meticulous attention to detail. I had a real adrenaline surge when my team pressed the treatment button for the first time and there was such a moment of joy and a few tears when we had actually done it! All the hard work setting up this service finally paid off when Valerie received her first treatment.
“We have an excellent team here at UHNM and I remember that everything went really well on the day. The dose of radiotherapy we have to administer is very high and the configuration for the treatment has to be perfect, it’s a very rigorous and precise process to get it all ready. As a multidisciplinary team, everyone involved – oncologists, planning radiographers, physicists and therapy radiographers - had extensive training and education alongside quality assurance tests, mentored by The Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
“It’s fantastic that we can now offer SABR to patients locally. Before, we sometimes had patients who would cancel their appointment because the distance was too far. We’re really proud to launch this treatment for our patients.
“At the moment we are focusing on using SABR to treat lung cancer, but we would like to expand the service to be able to treat other areas.
“As we move forwards we hope to be able to procure more advanced equipment which will help us to achieve our goal of becoming a Cancer Centre of Excellence at UHNM.”