A precise non-invasive radiosurgery system to excise tumours anywhere in the body has become available to NHS patients for the first time.

London’s Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is the first NHS hospital to acquire a CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System from Accuray.

“Patients have been very eager to see CyberKnife radiosurgery available through the NHS, so we are excited to soon be able to offer them this state-of-the-art form of cancer care,” said Dr. Peter Ostler, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Clinical Chair for Cancer Services at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust.

“The CyberKnife System will enable us to expand our radiation offerings to patients who may not have been able to tolerate other treatments or have medically or surgically inoperable tumours.”

The CyberKnife System is the only radiotherapy system designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body, including those in the spine, lung, prostate, liver and pancreas, non-invasively. The system uses real-time tracking capabilities to deliver high-dose radiation to tumours with pinpoint accuracy. It does not require the use of stabilising frames or breath holding.

“Mount Vernon Cancer Centre has a strong reputation for cancer treatment, particularly using radiation, so it is great to see their treatment arsenal strengthened with the purchase of a CyberKnife System,” said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Accuray Inc. “We are proud to be working with the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust and are very pleased with their recognition of the CyberKnife System’s unique contributions in the treatment of cancer.”

Based in California, Accuray Inc. is a leading global provider of radiosurgery.

One of the UK’s top five cancer treatment centres, The Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in North-West London provides specialist tertiary radiotherapy to around 5,000 new patients per annum.

 
CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System

A new heart rate monitor, smaller than a matchbox and able to record continuous data for up to 5 days, has been launched in the UK.

Firstbeat Bodyguard from UK company Optima-life provides health professionals and sports trainers with an accurate measuring device that offers patient comfort.

Traditional heart rate monitors can be awkward to wear, particularly at night. Firstbeat Bodyguard is lightweight (16g) and unobtrusive (35mm wide and 15mm deep), with only two contact points on the skin. This minimises skin irritation and pressure on the chest area.

Firstbeat Bodyguard has a battery life of over 96 hours, a recording capacity of 1,960,000 heartbeats, and a measurement accuracy of 1ms.

Simon Shepard, CEO of Optima-life, commented: “Recording heart beat data can sometimes be frustrating when the results have measurement errors and breaks in data. The increased measurement capacity of Firstbeat Bodyguard makes it much easier to obtain highly accurate measurements of heart rate and R-R interval data and allows more in-depth data analysis.

“You can download data by attaching the Bodyguard cable to a computer USB port. The same cable also recharges the battery.”

Optima-life specialises in technologies for optimising health and performance in work, sport and everyday life. The company is currently working with clinicians in NHS and private healthcare as well as professional sports teams and players, fitness specialists and major companies.

 
Firstbeat Bodyguard