Dorset cancer patients no longer need radiotherapy tattoos
New technology means marking for the correct treatment place aren't necessary
Thousands of Dorset cancer patients will no longer have to have a permanent tattoo to mark the spot of their radiotherapy treatment.
The procedures at Poole Hospital now include 'surface guided' cameras and image sensors to deliver the radiation beams to the right place.
Previously, the tattoos would highlight where the treatment would be directed.
Radiotherapy aims to shrink tumours using the beams, but can damage non-cancerous cells, so the new technology means that if a patient, or the tumour itself moves, the beam is immediately stopped.
David Frost, head of therapy radiography at University Hospitals Dorset, said:
“One of our trust values in ‘always improving’, and here at UHD we are using the latest technology to do that for the benefit of our patients. While the tattoos assisted our treatment, they often had a negative psychological impact on our patients and were a permanent physical reminder of being unwell. For some of our patients it was also the first tattoo they ever had.
“This surface guided technology is quicker, more accurate and can allow a reduced imaging dose for our patients, reducing the level of radiation. Going tattooless is a fantastic milestone for all of us to reach.”
UHD is the first trust in the south west to offer the service - with three systems in Poole and a fourth at The Robert White Centre at Dorset County Hospital, in Dorchester.
The centre is named after multi-millionaire businessman Robert White, who gifted Poole Hospital more than £10m to advance cancer treatment in the county before his death in 2015.
While the trust has been using the surface guided radiotherapy for two years, the team has gone tattoo-less for all cancers for the first time.
Ola Williams is one of the patients benefiting from the new treatment. He said:
“Having cancer can be really unsettling and while you feel grateful for the treatment, it feels really positive not to have to go through another process – in this case having a tattoo.”
UHD carries out around 25,000 radiotherapy treatments each year, and the team supports around 130 patients every day.
Some 210 new patients start their treatment every month, attending the department for five treatment session each week.
Josh Naylor, physicist in the department, said:
“We get to know our patients really well during the course of their treatment and the feedback has been really positive. We’re really proud to be able to offer this to them and look forward to more improvements that benefit our patients in the future.”