Talk on new radiotherapy cancer treatment at NNUH

The public can find out more about plans to deliver a new treatment for patients with prostate and other cancers, using a form of radiotherapy called brachytherapy. A fundraising appeal is underway to enable patients needing this treatment to be seen at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) instead of travelling to London. A talk is taking place from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday 2nd May in the Benjamin Gooch lecture theatre at NNUH.

Standard radiotherapy uses radiation directed at the tumour from outside the body so that the radiation travels through normal tissue to get to the tumour. This means that some normal tissue may get damaged, although modern techniques aim to keep this to a minimum. Brachytherapy involves placing radioactive sources inside or near a tumour. As the radiation is delivered internally it does not have to pass through so much normal tissue, which can reduce the long-term side effects. It also means the dose that tumours can receive is significantly higher, which in turn can improve cure rates.

High Dose Rate brachytherapy is already used to treat cervical and endometrial cancer patients at NNUH and during 2011-12, 65 patients benefited from this. The new facilities will mean NNUH will become one of just a handful of hospital Trusts in the country offering HDR prostate brachytherapy.

Dr Tom Roques, NNUH Consultant Oncologist who will be talking at the event, said: “We’re in the process of raising funds for the new brachytherapy service which will make a real difference for patients with some types of cancer. It will allow us to focus radiotherapy more accurately, particularly for some prostate cancer patients. This will hopefully lead to higher cure rates, less damage to surrounding organs and fewer repeat visits to hospital for treatment.”

NNUH has launched the Targeted Radiotherapy Appeal to raise £600,000 to provide state-of-the-art facilities for brachytherapy treatment. For more information or to donate, go to www.nnuh.nhs.uk

If you would like to come to the talk, call the Membership Office on 01603 287634 or e-mail membership@nnuh.nhs.uk