Farleys Foundation support brings surface guided radiotherapy to Rosemere

Rosemere Cancer Foundation has celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022 and marked the occasion by launching its Guiding Light Appeal to bring Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment (SGRT) to Rosemere Cancer Centre.

SGRT is a revolutionary cancer treatment which works alongside radiotherapy treatment where high energy radiation beams are utilised to treat the site of a patient’s cancer. Radiotherapy can be used to treat a wide range of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel and bladder cancers, as well as head and neck cancers such as throat cancer.

Despite generally being considered the most effective cancer treatment, radiotherapy may damage some healthy cells in the area being treated, but SGRT has been developed to detect any movement of the patient, improving the accuracy of the treatment.

Only 14 out of 65 centres across the UK currently offer SGRT with just one other centre in the North West able to provide the treatment. Coming at a cost of £1.3 million, SGRT will be funded by charitable donations as part of Rosemere’s 25th anniversary appeal.

The Farleys Foundation has donated £2,000 to Rosemere to support the appeal and are appealing to businesses across the region to support it too.

Antonia Love, partner at Farleys, commented: “As long-standing supporters of Rosemere Cancer Foundation, we are delighted to have been able to assist in a small way in bringing SGRT as an option for more cancer patients in the North West. As cancer treatments continue to improve, it is vital that they can be offered to as many patients as possible.

We would urge any business or individual who is able to contribute, no matter how big or small, to Rosemere’s appeal to do so to ensure they can continue to bring the best cancer treatment to patients in the region.”

Dan Hill, Rosemere’s chief officer, commented: “To enable the cancer centre’s radiotherapy team to be one of the country’s earliest SGRT providers, as well as for the centre to become the country’s single largest SGRT site, is a privilege but it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our wonderful supporters.

"It’s they who are bringing SGRT to patients going forward from January – patients being booked in now to receive their treatment. The plan is for breast cancer patients to be the first to experience the many benefits of SGRT with it then being rolled out to everyone.”