Southend Hospital enhances radiotherapy treatment and comfort for patients with lung and oesophageal cancer

Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has increased efficiencies in radiotherapy following the implementation of the MacroMedics^® EagleBoard™ from Oncology Systems Limited. As Southend are the first clinical users in the UK, the EagleBoard offers them an easier set up for patients that are undergoing radiotherapy to the chest or abdomen region, including patients with lung and oesophageal cancer. The compact and cost-effective solution has provided the hospital’s Radiotherapy Department with the ability to prepare for the latest advancement in radiotherapy - SABR (stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy), specifically for lung cancer patients.

Nadia Salama, Mould Room Technician at Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust states, “The EagleBoard has significantly improved the way we can position patients, increasing comfort and representing a huge step forward in facilitating SABR for radical radiotherapy lung patients. We are now able to use a vacuum cushion, an additional piece of equipment which support the patient’s arms more than ever before, and produces a firm impression of exactly where they should be positioned during treatment. This is a huge advantage for clinicians, ensuring optimum positioning, however, most significantly this increases patient comfort.”

The tapered design on the EagleBoard ensures maximum CT bore clearance. Furthermore, the use of MR-safe materials makes the board the ideal choice for a multitude of imaging modalities. Staff can position patients more easily and comfortably, enabling them to achieve an accurate and consistent treatment delivery. The ‘wings’ are designed to fully support the upper arm and the adjustable hand grips can also be fixed in a wide range of positions to achieve greater comfort.

Nadia Salama continues, “The EagleBoard is adaptable, including the height of the hand grips, and is able to be used by patients of all physiques. As radiotherapy treatment can often take 15-20 minutes to complete, it is crucial that the patients are able to stay very still for this time and the EagleBoard is comfortable enough to facilitate this. We have two boards, one is kept in our pre-treatment department, whilst the other is shared for our linear accelerators.”

Serafine O’Brien, Clinical Specialist at Oncology Systems Limited, comments, “The EagleBoard is based on the Cardio-Thoracic board at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which has a long history of development. The original Cardio-Thoracic board prototype was created in 1999 as a collaboration between the Lead Research Radiographer, Donna Routsis, and the Radiotherapy Mould Room. It has undergone many iterations to create an ergonomic design to fully support the patient. Through our excellent working relationship with both Addenbrooke’s Hospital and our supplier MacroMedics, it is now commercially available for the benefit of patients and staff alike. It has been a pleasure being able to provide equipment that fulfils the requirements at Southend Hospital without compromise.”

For further information on the MacroMedics EagleBoard, please visit http://www.osl.uk.com/EagleBoard  or call us on +44 (0)1743 462694