Wiltshire cancer patient hails Stars Appeal funded treatment boost
Six new HD videoscopes are helping diagnose head and neck cancers faster at Salisbury District Hospital
Almost 2,000 cancer patients at Salisbury District Hospital have had their experience improved thanks to six new high-definition videoscopes.
The cameras help diagnose people with suspected head and neck cancers earlier, as well as making check ups during recovery more comfortable.
Since being funded at a cost of £115,000 by the Stars Appeal, the hospital's charity, 1,600 patients have benefitted from their use.
That includes 67-year-old Peter Russell, from Maiden Bradley near Warminster, who was first diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma, which is a type of head and neck cancer that develops in the cells of the throat, in November 2019 after finding a lump in his throat.
He requires regular checks to monitor his condition, with the new scopes a vast improvement on what was previously an "incredibly uncomfortable" procedure.
He said: "I am well used to this unpleasant procedure; however the new cameras make it so much more comfortable and for new patients they will significantly reduce the fear of having this procedure done. It was one of the most pleasant scoping experiences I’ve had in an unpleasant set of experiences.
“After my first treatment I was having them roughly once a month over four years. Sometimes it felt like going a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson and being punched in the nose. The new cameras made the procedure so much easier to manage.”
The scopes allow doctors to see high-quality images in order to assess and diagnose patients who have been referred to the hospital with a suspicious neck lump or a suspected head and neck cancer. They are also helping patients previously diagnosed with head and neck cancers as the images can be recorded and enable any changes to be detected more easily.
Peter added: “The unique nature of my cancer meant it kept coming and going so I always knew something was going to happen. This is why this equipment is really important to me because the doctors can see any changes over time. Often it is quite subtle changes that show something is happening.”
The scopes are part of a new ‘one-stop’ diagnostic service being led by the hospital’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Maxillofacial teams.
Previously, patients had to visit several departments across the hospital for diagnostic checks, but now everything is one place, easing some of the stress and creating a more efficient service for patients.
Peter said: “For a patient that doesn’t know whether they have cancer or not, are scared, wondering what’s happening and if they’re even going to survive this episode, to have something that reduces the trauma that they go through is incredibly important and appreciated. For some people it will give them a very definitive answer, and that there is nothing there to worry about.”
ENT Consultant Mr Kostas Marinakis added: “The scopes have made a huge difference to the service we are able to offer, enabling more accurate diagnosis for our patients with a suspected head or neck cancer. The superior image quality gives us the best chance of detecting early cancers, thereby significantly increasing the chances of a cure.
"The scopes also make the whole procedure more comfortable and more easily tolerated by patients. Thank you very much to Stars Appeal supporters for making this possible. This is a significant quality improvement and we are incredibly grateful.”