THE FIRST NHS Wales cancer patient to receive proton beam therapy in Wales has started treatment at the Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales in Newport.
The Newport centre is approved by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) to provide high energy proton beam therapy to adult patients, referred from the NHS in south Wales.
Professor Roger Taylor, Senior Clinical Advisor and Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales, said: “The availability of proton beam therapy at a local clinic is an important step forward in cancer care in the UK and we are pleased to be able to provide treatment for this young man.
“Whilst proton therapy is not a panacea for all types of cancer, we have seen where it can be beneficial in treating a range of tumours. Working with the NHS in Wales means that adult patients have an option to be treated closer to home.”
Jamie Powell, Centre Manager at the Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales, said: “Providing access to the Rutherford Cancer Centres for NHS patients is something we have been working towards and we are pleased to announce this on World Cancer Day. Our centre and services in Newport are supported by NHS Wales clinical, hospital and research facilities and we look forward to continuing to provide excellent care in a high-quality and technologically advanced environment.”
The Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales was the first clinic in the UK to provide high energy proton beam therapy and treated the first non-NHS patient with high energy proton beam therapy in the UK in April of last year.
Rupert Lowe, chairman of Proton Partners International, said: “As someone who had to travel abroad to receive proton beam therapy, I am delighted to be reporting on World Cancer Day today that the situation is changing at last in the UK.
“We were extremely proud to treat the first proton beam therapy patient in the UK last April and scores more have benefited from this treatment without having to travel abroad. We are also pleased to see the development of proton beam therapy facilities within the NHS.
“We are delighted to have been commissioned by health commissioners in Wales to treat adult NHS patients with proton beam therapy and are very proud that our first NHS patient began treatment today.
“The UK Government recently set out an ambitious 10-year plan for the NHS which includes major commitments to tackling cancer. We firmly believe that given the magnitude of the challenge, a collaborative approach among healthcare providers will achieve the best results for patients.”
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