Radiotherapy treatment in the UK and Europe is being transformed with the launch of the world’s first modular, relocatable, stand-alone radiotherapy treatment suite, OSL Pioneer.
Housing one of the most advanced radiotherapy treatment machines available in the world, TomoTherapy, patients even in remote locations, could soon find themselves accessing the best treatment much closer to their homes.
Pioneer, designed by UK-based Oncology Systems Limited, can be positioned on site and up and running in as little as five weeks.
Julie Mead, clinical director of OSL said: “Access to quality radiotherapy is critical to improving outcomes for patients. The UK still lags behind other countries in the quality and the amount of technology in which it has invested.
“Pioneer reduces the risk and costs for hospital trusts. It can be moved closer to areas of patient need as they are identified over time and there’s no need to undertake lengthy, costly bunker building projects.”
“People across the UK and Europe could soon reap the rewards.” Addenbrooke’s Hospital treats up to 70 patients a day on its two TomoTherapy machines.
Neil Burnet, Addenbrooke’s clinical oncologist said: “TomoTherapy’s flexibility means that it can treat many different types of cancer and sizes of tumour, in one or many sessions. It’s also fast and can be used to treat highly complex cases safely. It’s a proven technology that could benefit many people who need radiotherapy.”
In addition to the treatment suite, Pioneer offers the option of remote radiotherapy planning services, either from OSL or a hospital trust. This ensures that patients’ treatments are planned by experts, reducing the need to recruit highly specialised staff in locations where it is traditionally difficult to attract these professions.
Julie Mead added: “The TomoTherapy treatment machine is a completely integrated system, has its own internal shielding and is much smaller than other treatment machines, yet still offers the most advanced treatments.”