Funding for quicker cancer care

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/north_east/7984287.stm

Version 0 of 1.

More than £12.6m will be invested in new equipment at the North Wales Cancer Centre at Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, to help improve treatment.

The assembly government cash will be used for new machines that can more accurately destroy cancer cells.

A new CT simulator will also be bought, so that unique radiotherapy treatment can be planned for each patient.

Health Minister Edwina Hart said the equipment would speed-up treatment at the centre, based in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

"With one in three people diagnosed with cancer at some stage throughout their lives - ensuring that our hospitals have the best equipment possible to tackle the disease is a top priority for the Welsh Assembly Government," she said.

"Swift treatment eases patient anxiety and makes an unquestionable difference in ensuring the best possible outcome."

The money will go towards replacing two linear accelerators (Linacs), which destroy cancer cells, and to replace the current CT simulator.

Linacs provide computerised three-dimensional reconstruction of patient anatomy to allow clinicians to deliver radiotherapy to cancer patients more precisely reducing the risk to healthy organs.

They are expected to be in operation from early 2011.

The assembly government said the new equipment would improve and speed up treatment of patients, will help to retain and recruit specialist staff and would mean patient data could be electronically transferred between machines.