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Beatson Cancer Charity has awarded several grants over the years for enhancing the Beatson’s Breast Radiotherapy Service. In 2018 we awarded Dr Abdulla Alhasso a £52,000 grant to purchase four sets of a visual breath coaching device that helps patients to use the Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) technique during their radiotherapy treatment.
This technique has been shown to significantly reduce irradiation of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery of the heart and improve target tumour volume coverage. It also helps to increase precision for more complex treatment plans and shorten treatment times.
The Beatson’s radiotherapy department has successfully implemented the Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) technique for all breast radiotherapy patients. Furthermore, it is the only centre in Scotland offering this service to all patients.
Thank you again for your great help and support for the Beatson to be at the forefront of breast radiotherapy, this has only been possible to achieve through the charity contribution to fund the additional equipment including the new breast radiotherapy boards and the breath-holding screens. This has enabled us to offer a much better quality radiotherapy and improve on our standard of care matching the international standard in breast radiotherapy.
Dr Abdulla Alhasso, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.Breast Boards
During radiotherapy, breast cancer patients must use a special piece of equipment called a Breast Board which enables adequate patient positioning and immobilization which is essential for the delivery of the treatment. This ensures that radiotherapy only targets the tumour(s) and avoids surrounding healthy tissues.
Building on the success of the visual breath coaching devices, Beatson Cancer Charity awarded Dr Alhasso a £34,000 grant at the end of 2020 for purchasing four additional Breast Boards which will enable the Beatson’s Breast Radiotherapy Service to:
1: Cut down on the movement of patients and existing Breast Boards between radiotherapy treatment rooms which will help to reduce the risk of infection (including coronavirus)
2: Increase the number of patients being treated at any one time
3: Reduce patient waiting times for radiotherapy treatments
4: Reduce waiting times on the day of treatment for patients
5: Provide more flexibility for patient bookings
6: Enhance safety levels with immediate effect
For more information about this project, Email: funding@beatsoncancercharity.org
For further enquiries call our funding team on 0141 212 0505.
