Tweed Valley Hospital’s Radiation Oncology team achieved a major milestone in September, successfully treating their first SABR lung patient.
SABR (Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy) is now considered standard care in many radiation oncology departments, and Tweed Valley is proud to join this club.
This advancement means that selected lung cancer patients can now complete their radiation treatment in just 3-5 sessions instead of the traditional 20-30, significantly reducing the time to complete their treatment while maintaining excellent outcomes.
This milestone was made possible through a huge amount of teamwork which was led by Senior Radiation Therapist Siobhan Burke, Medical Physicist Myles Spalding and Radiation Oncologist Dr Carmen Hansen.
Director Cancer Services and Innovation Stephen Manley said their efforts were strongly supported by many other staff at Tweed Valley and colleagues at Lismore.
“This is a huge achievement by the team across the District to enable safe, high-quality radiotherapy at TVH with a single linear accelerator (LINAC),” Stephen said.
“This type of therapy has been flagged for huge growth with the commencement of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program. This projects a higher rate of referrals for curative lung cancer therapy as the screening program grows.
“Single LINAC sites have had difficulty in delivering SABR due to the clinical expertise required to safely complete the planning and independent quality assurance activities as well as the impacts of QA processes on the LINAC that limit normal clinical operations within the working day.
“The multidisciplinary team across TVH and Lismore have demonstrated an excellent commitment to innovation and optimal service provision to our communities by providing a broad suite of services to reduce unnecessary outflow to SEQ that impacts on patient experiences, outcomes and out-of-pocket expenses.
“It shows the calibre of the team and the culture that we have within our facility.
“Thank you to everyone involved in bringing SABR lung treatment to Tweed Valley. This achievement marks another step forward in delivering high-class cancer care closer to home for our patients.”
Pictured:
top: Members of Tweed Valley Hospital’s Radiation Oncology team with Adrienne Ablett, the first patient to undergo SABR lung treatment at the hospital. From left: Pete Neville, Myles Spalding, Chase Hadenham, Adrienne Ablett, Michelle Kay, Dean Robb and Vanessa Pang.
below: A scan of patient Adrienne Ablett’s lungs indicates with pinpoint precision where to administer treatment using the new SABR technique.