Cancer patients on the Sunshine Coast now have access to a new radiotherapy technique that targets a tumour with millimetre accuracy and cuts down on the length of treatment.
The cutting-edge service is Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) and is available through the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS).
The radiotherapy machine is used to deliver precise and high doses to target tumours very specifically.
SCHHS Medical Director Radiation Oncology Dr Nicole Buddle said there were many advantages to its use in suitable patients.
“SABR delivers a much more highly focused dose of radiation to a tumour, compared with what can be achieved with conventional radiotherapy,” she said.
“Because the treatments are delivered with millimetre accuracy there is a reduced risk of significant side effects, making this treatment easier for patients to tolerate.
“As the technique typically involves between one and five treatments, there are also fewer trips to the hospital for the patient, compared with conventional radiotherapy, which can be up to six weeks of daily treatments.
“SABR is ideally suited to the treatment of small primary cancers and small areas of metastasis (cancer that has spread from another site in the body) and it can be used as an alternative treatment for patients who are not suitable for surgery.
“Previously, patients on the Sunshine Coast either had pay to have this treatment at a local private provider, or travel to Brisbane to receive it.
“Now, SABR is available to treat SCHHS patients with small lesions in the lung, and it is hoped its use will continue to expand to include other areas, such as the brain and liver.
“The introduction of SABR to SCHHS is part of our ongoing development of services at Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) Adem Crosby Centre,” Dr Buddle said.
While the equipment has been used to deliver conventional radiotherapy since the hospital opened in 2017, Dr Buddle said it required extensive testing and protocol development over time to safely implement all its capabilities.
“The commencement of stereotactic radiotherapy at SCUH this week is the culmination of years of work by our oncology team to apply these additional processes with a high degree of safety, all while we have continued to deliver close to 1,000 high quality courses of radiotherapy treatment to local patients, each year.”
Help us deliver more news by registering for our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article.
Cyril’s lung spot
Sunshine Coast local Cyril, 85, was the first local patient to be treated with the SABR technique this week, for a small lesion on his lung that he said was detected in August.
“The scans showed a spot on my left lung about the size of a 10-cent coin, and the doctors confirmed it was cancer.
“Surgery was an option, but the doctors were concerned about my breathing; I cough a lot.
“I’ve had radiation before, but that was for 20 days at a time – 60 days in total. With this one (SABR), I only need four days of treatment and because you receive a stronger dose, it cuts down the time you need to be at hospital.
“The radiation is supposed to get rid of the cancer. I thought I’d have to go to Brisbane for it, but SCUH ended up getting this machine in, which is damn great,” Cyril said.
