Thank You 600,000 Times
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital has 600,000 reasons to say thank you to the public as it hits its total for the Targeted Radiotherapy Appeal.
Raising £600,000 means more patients with prostate cancers will benefit from targeted brachytherapy treatments that will cut their treatment times from seven and a half weeks to just three by delivering the radiation internally.
It will also mean patients being treated closer to home. At the moment men in Norfolk have to travel to London or Cambridge for their treatment.
The NNUH will be one of only a handful of hospital Trusts in the country offering HDR prostate brachytherapy.
It is already used to treat cervical and endometrial cancer patients at NNUH and during 2011-12, 65 patients benefitted from this. Now more gynaecological patients will be treated.
Chief Executive Anna Dugdale said, “This is an amazing amount of money to raise in just 18 months. We are really grateful to everyone who has donated to the TRA appeal and we know that the money is still coming in and will benefit that area. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made this possible, and to the EDP for their support. Those who have donated, contributed and supported will make a difference to many local cancer patients”
The money raised from the Targeted Radiotherapy Appeal will be used to reconfigure some of the existing rooms in the Colney Centre to provide state-of-the-art facilities for people undergoing internal radiotherapy, known as high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. The new facilities will allow more patients to benefit from this treatment
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 become 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 reduces the long-term side effects. It also means the dose that tumours can receive is significantly higher, which in turn can improve cure rates and reduce treatment times.
Dr Tom Roques, NNUH Consultant Oncologist, said: “The new brachytherapy service 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.”
A delighted Louise Cook, NNUH’s fundraising manager said “We know with the fundraising that has been happening all across the county and beyond that people from all walks of life and all ages have got behind this appeal and supported our hospital charity to provide these extra facilities for cancer patients. This has been a very local appeal and we are incredibly grateful for the money which people have raised and promised us in order for us to reach these target.
I think people understand that we are a local charity which makes a difference to local people.”
As well as fantastic fund raising and pledges by members of the public there has been generous support from the Big C, Geoffrey Watling Charitable Trust, Norfolk and Waveney Prostate Support Group, Community Cancer Chest, Paul Bassham Charitable Trust, Marchesi Rotary Club in Norwich and the Rotary Clubs of East Anglia, as well as many other trusts and companies across Norfolk, Mary Northway & Cromer Friends; Friends oF NNUH; Jarrold Trust, JN Derbyshire Trust; Garfield Weston; Joanna Lumley; Durrants; Duff Morgan ; Hammond Family & My Little Friends, Radio Norfolk ,Stephen Bumfrey; staff and colleagues at hospital