Delivery of state-of-the-art equipment means tattoo-less treatments for radiotherapy patients

The delivery of state-of-the-art equipment to University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust is set to greatly enhance the experience of those undergoing radiotherapy treatment at the Trust.

After the former linear accelerator (linac) had reached the end of its ten-year lifecycle, our Arden Cancer Centre took delivery of a new Elekta Versa HD machine.

With its additional Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) functionality called VisionRT, the Trust will now be able to move away from using tattoos, which are pinhead-sized dots used to ensure clinicians treat exactly the same area each time.

The new machine also features Elekta’s new IRIS system, which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to further enhance the images we produce.

Radiotherapy Operations Manager, Andrzej Malaczowski, said: “On average, a patient would normally have up to three tattoos to align the radiotherapy machine.

“Although they are very small, no bigger than a freckle, it can still feel invasive and is a permanent reminder of the patient’s treatment.

“With the delivery of the new linac and addition of VisionRT, we can continue to extend our tattoo-less treatments to more patients, allowing us to offer the best possible patient experience.

“We are also one of the first centres in the UK to have purchased and installed the IRIS upgrade for high-definition image verification.”

The linac’s additional functionality involves the use of three cameras which scan the patient’s body whilst tracking their movements in real time, helping to deliver more precise treatments through the monitoring of movement changes.

Andrzej added: “For some cases, by adopting this new technology, we have been able to reduce the total appointment time allocated for the patient by nearly 25 per cent.

“This seamlessness in treatment is not just better for our patients but also improves capacity within the department.

“As a result, we are now standardising the use of SGRT for many of our patients.”