• 12/15/2004
  • Belfast, Northern Island
  • Nigel Gould
  • The Belfast Telegraph

Ulster health experts have pioneered a revolutionary technology that is set to transform treatment for scores of cancer sufferers, it can be revealed today.

The work of the Medical Physics team at Belvoir Park Hospital represents a breakthrough in the radiotherapy treatment of head and neck cancer and is being developed with the help of cancer charity, Friends of Montgomery House.

This Northern Ireland development involves digital cameras and specialist computer software and has already brought inquiries from cancer facilities in the UK and the National Cancer Institute in Washington.

The revolutionary new technology pioneered by Belvoir Park in conjunction with Dimensional Imaging Ltd, Glasgow is to totally transform treatment.

To have radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer, patients must first have a personalised facial mask constructed. The radiotherapy sessions are then delivered daily over a number of weeks and the mask ensures that the radiation targets consistently the specific area affected by the cancer. The current process involves making a mould of the patient using plaster bandages over the face and neck. This can be uncomfortable, especially for children. It can also take several days to complete.

The new process – photogrammetry – produces a more accurate treatment facial mask, which is ready within a few hours removing the patient’s discomfort and reducing the waiting time for treatment. Photogrammetry works with a stereo digital photograph being taken by a bank of four high-tech cameras around the head and neck of the patient.

With one flick of a button the patient’s image is captured and processed through the modified software into a computer controlled milling machine or rapid prototyper which replicates the patient’s likeness in a block of material. A sheet of plastic is then formed over this shape using a vacuum process and this completes the patient’s mask.

‘Friends’ the cancer charity has made this new venture possible by providing over £20,000 for the project.

Speaking today from Belvoir Park Hospital at a demonstration of the new process, Honorary Secretary of the Charity, Christine Lynch said: “Friends of Montgomery House are thrilled to be supporting this cutting edge technology.

“Not only will it reduce waiting times for patients, it will also make their treatment preparation more simple and comfortable.”

Spearheading the project, Head of Radiotherapy Physics at Belvoir Park, Leslie Frew said: “The introduction of this digital image capture technique into the preliminary stages of the radiotherapy process is an exciting development and one which we feel will not only benefit patients of Northern Ireland but possibly those across the globe.”