CancerPartnersUK

Little Aston Officially Opened

2011-07-15T17:18:00.008+01:00

Following the completion of our latest radiotherapy centre in Little Aston, near Birmingham CancerPartnersUK are particularly pleased to be able to offer private patients from Sutton Coldfield, and indeed the whole of the West Midlands and Staffordshire, fast access to a complete spectrum of cancer care and cutting-edge treatments.

The centre, which is the first of its kind in the Midlands, houses the latest radiotherapy technologies, including Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and complements the existing cancer services provided at Spire Little Aston Hospital.

Jean Collins, of Sutton Coldfield and Lucy Couturier of Boldmere, were invited to officially open the new, state-of-the-art centre, which has been treating patients since April.

Married mother-of-two Jean, of Sutton Coldfield, said:

“I was delighted to be asked to officially open the centre – which gave me the utmost in care when I was treated with radiotherapy this year. I was lucky that my breast cancer was diagnosed early on, meaning I didn’t have to undergo a mastectomy or chemotherapy but did need radiotherapy treatment every day for more than three weeks. The nearest centre for this used to be the Queen Elizabeth, which isn’t local for me and involves driving through Birmingham city centre. To have this newly launched facility on my doorstep has been a godsend and I’m so lucky to have had the option to be treated there. The staff and care have been fabulous.”

Mother-of-two Lucy Couturier, aged 38, who has also just completed a three-week course of radiotherapy following a double mastectomy and chemotherapy, after being diagnosed with breast cancer last summer, said:

“Cancer is in the family and my mother died of breast cancer when I was just nine, so in a way I was always expecting it. I was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer and therefore had chemotherapy to start with, followed by a double mastectomy to remove the majority of the risk of it coming back. This was followed by breast reconstruction and radiotherapy. I have two young daughters, and if I’d have had to travel far for my radiotherapy treatment it would have had a big impact as I have to take them to school and pick them up – so the new facility so close to home has been great. Not only are the staff second-to-none, but the equipment, facilities, and overall atmosphere there is of such high quality. It has a very personal feel. During half term I had to take the girls in with me and the staff took the time to explain the equipment and treatment to them to take away any fears they had about me having radiotherapy.

“Even little things like availability of parking, which can be stressful in larger hospitals, was stress free and appointments always ran to time. Appointment times were also flexible so I could change them if I needed to. A centre like this is a brilliant development for the locality and surrounding areas,” she added.

Clinical Oncologist, Dr John Glaholm said:

“The new centre offers the highest level of technology and standards of care for delivering advanced radiotherapy, and will be an enormous benefit for all patients, not only those within the immediate locality.”

CancerPartners UK Little Aston’s centre manager, Stuart Southgate, says:

“The official launch was a huge success and the reaction to the centre from patients and specialists has been overwhelming. It’s such a positive development for the area.”

Duke of York officially opens Elstree Cancer Centre

2011-03-04T10:28:00.003Z

THE Duke of York, Prince Andrew, officially opened a cancer centre in Elstree this morning.

He was given a guided tour of the facilities of the Elstree Cancer Centre, in Centennial Park, by CancerPartnersUK medical director, Professor Karol Sikora, and its chief executive Rupert Cockcroft.

The Duke said he was “delighted” to be there as he unveiled a plaque after being shown a £4.5 million Elekta Synergy Image Guided Radio Therapy (IGRT) machine.
He also made an impromptu visit to the chemotherapy unit as part of his tour and spoke to patients.

The centre, which has been operating since last summer, is a partnership between Cancer Partners UK and Spire Bushey Hospital, and serves patients both privately and through the NHS.

Professor Sikora said: “It was great to have the Duke at the opening as he was genuinely interested in the way the centre worked and in healthcare generally."

Andrew Gore, hospital director for the Spire Bushey Hospital, said: “It was fantastic to have the Duke of York visit and he was very interested in the care we provide here.

“It wasn’t part of the tour to come to the chemotherapy department but he came and spoke to three patients.”

2010-09-07T15:40:00.003+01:00

CancerPartnersUK, is lobbying MPs and health officials about the poor state of radiotherapy services in the UK. The company has this month (September 2010) published a comprehensive report, Radiotherapy – A radical plan for Britain, co-authored by Professor Karol Sikora with input from senior oncologists, which demonstrates how the UK has fallen behind with uptake of new technology, such as IMRT and IGRT, but at the same time shows how relatively simple it would be to improve provision across the country.

The CancerPartnersUK report coincides with the publication on 7th September 2010 of a report by Cancer Research UK - Poor Public Awareness Highlights Radiotherapy’s Cinderella Status which states that there is a general lack of awareness by the public of how good radiotherapy is at treating cancer. Despite the number of people receiving radiotherapy in the UK increasing by 75% since 2000, 12% of cancer patients who might benefit from radiotherapy will not receive it. It says that UK healthcare trusts are failing to offer equal opportunities for patients to receive radiotherapy.

Rupert Cockcroft CEO of CancerPartners UK says: “Poor value is attached to radiotherapy as a major cancer treatment, and there is serious under-provision of radiotherapy in certain parts of the country resulting in a postcode lottery.”

CancerPartners UK has demonstrated that it is possible to rapidly create a growing network of centres, developing a centre in 8 months from the first construction day to treating the first patient. We can help support the local areas by the delivery of cancer treatment technologies such as, Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and Image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in purpose built centres. Mr Cockcroft adds: “We deliver our models with the patient at the heart of the service, valuing their time, comfort and delivering state-of-the-art treatment.”

CancerPartners UK has now opened three image guided radiotherapy centres in the UK and a fourth is under construction with several more planned for next year. At these centres we treat cancer patients with many types of cancer, from the most common, such as breast cancers and prostate cancer, to more rare and secondary forms such as lung & liver cancer.

We believe this strategy could deliver better value for money and give patients choices which will result in an inevitable improvement in quality and access without an increase in cost. This strategy also fits with the ambitious plans outlined in the recent Department of Health White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS in which the Government has pledged to make the NHS more accountable, freeing staff from excessive bureaucracy and judging success on clinical outcomes.

Professor Karol Sikora, Medical Director of CancerPartners UK says: “Opening up the NHS to new providers of services has never been more important and transforming the provision of cancer care requires imaginative solutions. Britain has a huge resource of dedicated, talented and well trained staff - harnessing their innovative energy is vital to achieve a world class service for future cancer patients

Radiotherapy – A Radical Plan for Britain is available on the CancerPartnersUK website
For more information please contact:

Tina Dunworth / Rupert Cockcroft 020 8236 9040

CancerPartnersUK opens new radiotherapy centre in Elstree

2010-07-14T21:35:00.013+01:00

I'm delighted to announce we have opened our third centre, in Elstree. It's a particular milestone for CancerPartnersUK and radiotherapy in the UK as it's the first stand alone centre not to be situated on an existing hospital site.

Conveniently located for cancer patients living in Herfordshire and north London, it's an intimate, purpose-built cancer centre offering the latest radiotherapy techniques (IMRT and IGRT) as well as a chemotherapy unit. Staffed by a small specialist team, including local cancer experts, it has the facilities to treat breast cancer and prostate cancer, as well as other forms of the disease.

Elstree is just one of a network of cancer centres we at CancerPartnersUK are building across the UK. We have already opened centres in Portsmouth and Southampton, and are building another in Little Aston, Birmingham.

We continue to strive to bring the best possible treatment options to cancer patients in convenient centres in partnership with local cancer specialists.

Find out more about our centres .

Rupert Cockcroft
Chief executive

How our private radiotherapy centres came about

2010-07-14T20:32:00.005+01:00

As an ex-cancer patient I know only too well the importance of being able to get the best quality treatment…and fast.

CancerPartnersUK came about because of my desire to improve access to radiotherapy in the UK. Many patients currently have to travel a long way for treatment, something you can do without when you are ill with cancer. Through our network of private radiotherapy centres across the UK, we’re bringing cutting edge cancer care closer to the people who need it.

Here in the UK, you sometimes have to wait weeks for radiotherapy treatment. Whereas at CancerPartnersUK you can start treatment within days of a referral and the treatment is completely personalised to your needs with the same team of specialists looking after you from start to finish.

I’m proud of the fact we offer the most precise and cutting edge forms of radiotherapy available in the UK today. Up until now only around ten per cent of patients have been able to take advantage of these.

Having been treated for cancer myself, I was keen to make our centres pleasant, relaxing environments too. After all you can end up spending weeks coming for radiotherapy treatment. So our centres are a bit different from the more conventional medical setting – the basement of a hospital. They're light and airy, and all are based on the ground floor.

I’ve been running hospitals over the last 20 years so I was in a great position to get the project off the ground. I was able to recruit the best possible cancer specialists and oncologists, as well as management team, from across the UK.

Our first centre, in Portsmouth, opened in 2009. Since then, despite the economic downturn, we have managed to build three more centres, in Southampton, Elstree and Little Aston with more planned. Feedback from patients has been excellent. Hopefully, in time, we’ll be able to put our centres in reach of all cancer patients across the UK.

Find out more about our personalised approach.

Rupert Cockcroft
Chief executive

Peter Bonetti launches new cancer centre in Little Aston

2010-06-18T18:11:00.020+01:00

We started construction this week on a new CancerPartnersUK centre at Little Aston near Birmingham. And the event was honoured with a visit from footballing legend, Peter Bonetti - one of the original members of England's 1966 World Cup squad.

The new facility will open in February 2011 and will house the latest radiotherapy treatments, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). These are the most cutting edge and precise radiotherapy treatments available to patients. The new centre will complement the existing cancer services provided at Spire Little Aston Hospital to provide a fully integrated range of cancer treatments on one site.

This is one of the first independent facilities outside London where patients can have radiotherapy on the same site as their other cancer treatments.

The treatment facilities are part of a joint initiative with Spire Healthcare to provide world-class cancer treatments to patients in the West Midlands.

Read more about our centres in Portsmouth, Southampton and Elstree.

Rupert Cockcroft
Chief executive

Insight into living with cancer in 2010

2010-05-17T10:31:00.007+01:00

From 17th to 31st May, CancerPartnersUK is supporting Wave 105FM’s Insight into Living with Cancer in 2010. The feature includes interviews with many of our cancer patients in Portsmouth and Southampton to find out about what it’s really like to find out you have cancer and how you can come to terms with it and continue with your life throughout treatment and beyond.
There are also interviews with Professor Karol Sikora, with a glimpse into the future of cancer treatment, and you can see Wave 105FM news reporter, Jason Beck, volunteer to have a CT scan so he can tell us first hand how it feels.
Watch the videos and find out advice and tips from patients and cancer experts on wave105.com/cancer

Cancer care gets personal

2010-04-18T18:58:00.006+01:00

The future of cancer care will depend on the personalisation of treatment.This means tailoring treatment to each individual patient, rather than a 'one size fits all' approach.

With drugs the emphasis is on understanding the molecular switches that have gone wrong in an individual cancer patient.This allows the correct choice of drug combination to annihilate the cancer. With radiotherapy it’s all about precision. Getting it to exactly the right place, while avoiding collateral damage to surrounding tissue, is the key.

And the delivery of precise image modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image guided radiotherapy (IGRT), both provided at CancerPartnersUK's cancer centres, is becoming a reality..for some. We now have fantastic diagnostic images from modern scanning techniques that allow us to see cancer with pinpoint accuracy. Converting this to a radiotherapy delivery plan that is equally sophisticated is the key to our future success to make sure we destroy the cancer with minimal damage to normal tissue.

Currently IMRT and IGRT are only available in certain centres to cancer patients in the UK. However, CancerPartnersUK has offered these types of treatments exclusively to all suitable patients right from the beginning. Personalised medicine is here to stay. In the end it is the only way we can make the best treatment available at an affordable price for everyone.

Find out more about our personalised approach to your treatment.

Karol Sikora
Medical Director

Breast cancer: our beams hit the spot

2010-04-09T15:15:00.003+01:00

I’ve been an oncologist for more than 30 years. During that time I’ve seen a revolution in breast cancer treatment. Gone are the days of the radical mastectomy where the breast was removed along with a large amount of surrounding tissue, leaving horrible scars.

Nowadays we have more conservative treatment where the cancer is removed but the breast is left in tact. But to avoid the cancer coming back at the original site we have to give patients radiotherapy. The breast is a very challenging organ to irradiate.

Underneath there are critical structures such as the lungs, heart and nerves. Making sure these structures are outside the treatment site is essential to avoid long-term side effects.

Fortunately modern technology such as that offered at
CancerPartnersUK centres allows us to avoid side effects. The beam can be aimed precisely, using image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and image modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to enable us to ensure it’s going to the right place.

This kind of radiotherapy really does reduce the number of women that have to suffer the long term complications of treatment.

Find out more about our approach.

Karol Sikora
Medical Director

Not all radiotherapy is equal

2010-03-26T10:58:00.013Z

A friend of mine has got prostate cancer. He told me he was going to have radiotherapy. I asked him what sort. He didn’t know.

Now to me, for a highly intelligent person not to understand the different types of radiotherapy available makes no sense. If I had prostate cancer I’d want to make sure that the radiation beam being used was being aimed specifically at my prostate and not the surrounding normal tissue.

Why? Because the side effects of most kinds of radiotherapy are caused by collateral damage to normal tissue, in particular the bowel and the bladder. When these critically sensitive tissues receive radiotherapy, the early side effects can include diarrhoea, bleeding and often a bladder infection.

However, it is the later side effects that are more worrying; the bowel can be severely damaged resulting in profound clinical problems for many years. These can all be avoided by making sure the radiation delivery is as precise as possible

For all these reasons, if I had prostate cancer I would go to a treatment centre that could guarantee more precise treatment: image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

CancerPartnersUK is creating a network of private cancer centres, run by leading medical professionals providing exactly this type of radiotherapy.

Contact us to find out more about how we can help with your treatment and read what our patients say about us.

Karol Sikora
Medical Director

Long waits for radiotherapy linked to increased recurrence of breast cancer Professor Karol Sikora comments on new research published in BMJ 3.03.10

2010-03-03T16:46:00.003Z

A large US study published today shows that there is a strong correlation between delay in accessing radiotherapy for breast cancer and the incidence of local recurrence. A steady rise in recurrence developed when the time from surgery to radiotherapy exceeded 8 weeks.

Professor Karol Sikora, Medical Director of CancerPartnersUK said,
"Oncologists have believed for some time that prompt access to radiotherapy for breast cancer is important. This study demonstrates the importance of timely intervention if the best results are to be obtained. It also underpins the urgent need to implement the 31 day waiting target in the NHS.

Unfortunately the lack of machine capacity and trained staff in many parts of the country means that it simply may not be possible. Increasing our investment in radiotherapy is vital if we are to climb up the European survival league for several common cancers.

New ways of working, better IT systems, developments in technology and more trained staff are the key to giving our patients the best results possible."

Further BMJ editorial comment.

Notes:
CancerPartnersUK is an independent organisation set up by a group of cancer experts to improve the overall quality and availability of cancer services across the UK, particularly in radiotherapy. The organization works with hospitals and healthcare companies to set up improved cancer care facilities, through a combination of new technologies, highly qualified medical teams and expert knowledge of cancer care pathways. http://www.cancerpartnersuk.org/

Contacts: Karol Sikora - 07901 556453
Lyn Wallace (PR) - 07734 101024 / lyn@wallacehcl.com

Private radiotherapy centre opens in Southampton

2010-01-21T14:01:00.003Z

CancerPartnersUK's latest private cancer treatment centre opens at Spire hospital, Southampton

The new centre, which opened on 20th January 2010, offers the latest radiotherapy treatments, including Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT).

A similar CancerPartnersUK facility at Spire hospital Portsmouth, in Havant, opened last summer. The private cancer treatment facilities in both Southampton and Portsmouth are part of a joint initiative between CancerPartnersUK and Spire Healthcare to provide world-class cancer treatments to patients in Hampshire, Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

Both centres complement the existing cancer services provided at Spire Portsmouth and Spire Southampton to provide a fully integrated range of cancer treatments on one site. These are the only independent facilities outside London where patients can have radiotherapy on the same site as their other cancer treatments.

Cutting edge cancer treatment

CancerPartnersUK was set up by cancer experts to improve the availability of cutting edge cancer treatment outside London. Professor Karol Sikora, a leading cancer specialist and medical director of CancerPartnersUK said:

“With one in three people now affected by cancer there is a huge demand for treatment. In particular there is a national shortage of radiotherapy services which means patients often have to wait longer or travel further than is acceptable.”

Professor Sikora added: “All Spire Hospitals' patients can have their treatment on site, but we will also offer access to patients who are receiving treatment elsewhere.”

STATE-OF-THE-ART REGIONAL CANCER CENTRE TO OPEN IN SOUTHAMPTON

2009-12-22T10:22:00.000Z

Construction has started on a state-of-the-art radiotherapy and cancer treatment facility at Spire Southampton Hospital.

The new facility will open in early 2010 and will be operated by CancerPartnersUK, an independent organisation specialising in bringing the latest cancer treatments to patients around the UK. A similar facility at Spire Portsmouth Hospital in Havant is opened this summer and was the first independent unit of its type outside London. The treatment facilities in Southampton and Havant are part of a joint initiative with Spire Healthcare to provide world-class cancer treatments to patients in Hampshire, Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

Read full Press Release

"Explorer notches another conquest" - The Portsmouth News, 14.10.2009

2009-10-15T12:44:00.002+01:00

The CancerPartnersUK Image Guided Radiotherapy Centre opening was featured in The Portsmouth News. Read the story in full.

CancerPartnersUK IGRT centre opened by Sir Ranulph Fiennes

2009-10-15T12:40:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday, 13th October, the new CancerPartnersUK Image Guided Radiotherapy Centre was officially opened by explorer and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes Bt OBE. This is the first independent unit of its type outside London to provide access to the latest generation radiotherapy treatments IMRT and IGRT – recognised as one of the most effective forms of radiation therapy for cancer, these treatments are shown to improve outcomes and minimize side effects to cancer patients.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Bt OBE to perform opening ceremony

2009-10-07T16:17:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday, 13th October, the new CancerPartnersUK Image Guided Radiotherapy Centre will be officially opened by explorer and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes Bt OBE. This is the first independent unit of its type outside London to provide access to the latest generation radiotherapy treatments IMRT and IGRT – recognised as one of the most effective forms of radiation therapy for cancer, these treatments are shown to improve outcomes and minimize side effects to cancer patients.

A new radiotherapy technique could revolutionise cancer treatment

2009-10-06T16:16:00.000+01:00

New radiotherapy technology can reduce the severe side effects of treating cancers of the head and neck according to latest trial results presented at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference today (Monday). The phase III trial, funded by Cancer Research UK and run by The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital, found that patients given the new kind of radiotherapy were 50 per cent less likely to suffer from dry mouth – the main side effect of treatment. Dry mouth is a lack of saliva caused by radiotherapy damage to the saliva glands, which are often close to the tumour. It can affect speaking, eating and oral health.
But the new technology – called Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) – more accurately targets an effective dose of radiotherapy to the tumour, reducing damage to healthy organs, in this case the saliva glands. The trial called PARSPORT involved 94 participants. Half were treated with traditional radiotherapy and the other half were treated with the new radiotherapy. The researchers found that after 12 months, only 39 per cent of patients who had the new treatment suffered from dry mouth compared to 74 per cent who had the traditional treatment.
Click here to veiw full press release

Management & marketing in healthcare vol 2/4

2009-09-10T12:45:00.000+01:00

Click here to view

First Centre opens in Portsmouth – August 2009

2009-09-09T16:15:00.000+01:00

CancerPartnersUK has opened our first centre in Havant Portsmouth. CancerPartnersUK South Downs, is a state-of-the-art radiotherapy and cancer treatment centre and offers patients the latest generation radiotherapy technologies, including Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT). It complements the existing cancer services provided on the same site at Spire Portsmouth Hospital to create the most comprehensive independent cancer centre outside London.

Excellence in cancer care symposium

2009-07-21T16:15:00.000+01:00

Leading cancer specialist, Professor Karol Sikora, was amongst a group of doctors from across the Hampshire region to attend a symposium to discuss new models of cancer treatment. ‘EXCELLENCE IN CANCER CARE’ was hosted by CancerPartnersUK and held at the Spire Portsmouth Hospital, site of a new radiotherapy centre due to open later this summer. Speakers also included, David Boote, Consultant oncologist, Simon Holmes, Consultant Urologist and breast cancer specialist Constantinos Yiangou.

Care Conversation Breakfast Seminar - 14th May 2009

2009-05-21T15:42:00.000+01:00

The fifth Care Conversation event heard the views of world-renowned Karol Sikora – Medical Director of CancerPartnersUK and Professor of Cancer Medicine – on the future of cancer care

‘Healthcare is in a perfect storm, and it’s global’ Professor Sikora told delegates. ‘Whatever system you look at, it’s just not working.’

People were living longer and had much more access to health information, while society had, in many ways, become more selfish, he said. ‘People want and demand things, and one key issue is the distribution of cancer care.’ This could easily be delivered in an outpatient setting, he said, as hospitals were very often the wrong places – inconvenient or even inaccessible for many people. ‘But the biggest challenge is how we pay for it,’ he said. ‘Cancer is getting expensive.’

Approaching cancer as he would a patient, he said, the problem had begun to be noticed in the 1980s, with slow diagnostic pathways and huge variations in care. The 1995 Calman Hine report made good recommendations but no money followed, while 2000’s NHS Cancer Plan had led to a ‘highly bureaucratic way of doing things that lost huge amounts of money without trace.’ Although the budget for cancer had increased four-fold in the last decade, he said, problems with waiting times persisted, the IT situation remained ‘hopeless’ and there was significant under-capacity in diagnostics and radiotherapy.

By 2007, UK survival figures continued to lag behind the rest of Europe. ‘We’re spending the same amount on cancer as our European colleagues, but the care people are getting is of a lower quality,’ he said. Core problems were inefficiency, lack of initiative and innovation and too many stakeholders – GPs, consultants, PCTs, cancer networks and patient activist groups, among others – all ‘pulling in different directions.’ Levels of patient satisfaction remained low compared to other countries, and the chemotherapy situation was ‘scandalous’, he said. ‘The single payer, single provider model is not for the future.’

So if cancer was the patient, what was the treatment plan? ‘Firstly, diversify the providers,’ he said. What was needed was a system of well-regulated specialist providers dealing with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, rather than local hospital trusts trying to do it themselves. Secondly, the concept of ‘cancer hotels’ – every town with more than 100,000 people should have a cancer centre with high quality facilities and resources, inter-linked IT and no waiting times. Finally, it was necessary to create a system that could evolve, he stressed. ‘On the whole it’s stuck in the past, and the main problem is IT – you can’t integrate the data in any meaningful way.’ If supermarkets could do it, there was no reason why providers couldn’t, he told delegates.

In diversifying providers, some would inevitably fail while others would be very successful, he said, and insurance companies would need to come on board in a much more significant way. ‘The NHS can’t do everything for everybody. Top up payments for extra services is the way it has to go.’

Cancer care would always be a political priority, he said, as no politician could afford to ignore it. However, it would be a shame if the UK became the ‘poor man of Europe’. ‘We can do it,’ he stressed. ‘But it requires complete reform and rethinking of cancer care.’

Precision radiotherapy – a guide to commissioning IMRT and IGRT

2009-04-29T10:28:00.000+01:00

Click here to read full doc.

NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART REGIONAL CANCER CENTRE – THE FIRST OF ITS KIND OUTSIDE LONDON

2009-04-07T15:47:00.001+01:00

Construction is starting on a state-of-the-art radiotherapy and cancer treatment centre – the first independent unit of its kind outside London – at Spire Portsmouth Hospital in Havant.

The new centre is being constructed and will be operated by CancerPartnersUK, an independent organisation specialising in bringing the latest cancer treatments to patients around the UK. It is being built in Havant as part of a joint initiative with Spire Healthcare to provide world-class cancer treatments to patients in Hampshire, Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

The CancerPartnersUK centre will house the latest generation radiotherapy technologies, including Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and will complement the existing cancer services provided at Spire Portsmouth to provide a fully-integrated range of cancer treatments on one site. This is the first independent unit outside London where patients can have radiotherapy on the same site as their other cancer treatments.

Spire Portsmouth’s Hospital Director, Heather Dob says: “Cancer treatment is an important area for us. In recent months we have invested in our new CT and MRI scanners to enhance diagnosis and we also have a dedicated chemotherapy unit. With CancerPartnersUK on site, we believe we have the most comprehensive private cancer treatment service outside London. Here patients will be able to have diagnostics, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy all in one location in a comfortable, clean environment, with direct access to leading cancer specialists in the area.

CancerPartnersUK was set up by a group of cancer experts to improve the availability of high-quality cancer treatment outside London. Professor Karol Sikora, a leading cancer specialist and Medical Director of CancerPartnersUK said, “With one in three people now affected by cancer there is a huge demand for treatment. In particular there is a national shortage of radiotherapy services* which means that patients often have to wait longer or travel further than is acceptable.”

With the first patients at Spire Portsmouth Hospital’s new centre expected from August 2009, Professor Sikora added: “This new centre will increase local capacity for radiotherapy and the benefits will be far-reaching. All Spire Hospitals’ patients can have their treatment on site, but we will also offer access to patients who are receiving treatment elsewhere. This will inevitably free up capacity in other regional centres.”

Said Heather, “We have consulted with many of the oncologists and cancer specialists working in both the private sector and NHS and we are excited that we are contributing to a significant improvement in cancer care across the region.”

CancerPartnersUK’s new centre is backed by Apposite Capital, a leading investment firm exclusively focused on healthcare. In spite of the economic downturn, the company has remained focused on its objective of enhancing cancer services around the UK, with Portsmouth as the flagship for similar centres over the next two years.

Photo L to r: Rupert Cockcroft, CEO, CancerPartnersUK, Heather Dob, Hospital Director, Spire Portsmouth Hospital, Karol Sikora, Medical Director, CancerPartnersUK

*National Cancer Strategy and the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group (NRAG) and supported by data from the Swedish Karolinska Institute.

Press cuttings

2008-07-10T10:43:00.000+01:00

'Cancer firm expects NHS to fall short'
HSJ, 10th July 2008
view cutting

'CancerPartners and Spire launch multi-million pound cancer centres'
Healthcare Market News, July 2008
view cutting

Independent sector provision of radiotherapy

2008-07-04T10:50:00.000+01:00

Article by Sarah Hynd and Karol Sikora from 'Imaging & Oncology, 2008'

In over a century of using radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer, there has been amazing evolution in its use, with tremendous change, too, in the interlinking disciplines of physics, imaging, dosimetry, delivery of treatment, and computerisation.

view full pdf

'Focus on oncology: Cancer drugs - the economic challenge'

2008-06-16T11:27:00.001+01:00

Karol Sikora assesses to what extent health technology assessments, the ageing population
and societal changes will influence the future of cancer care

Cancer care costs are spiralling out of control in every healthcare environment. Ageing populations are ‘consuming’ healthcare in vastly increasing quantities. And new technology – drugs, devices and procedures – is increasing the cost of care. At the same time, top-up payments are increasingly used to break treatment-access barriers. In such an environment, cancer patients are beginning to become very sophisticated consumers of clinical services. How much we are willing to pay for an extra year of good quality life is a key consideration for cancer patients of the baby boomer generation. For healthcare providers, the question is "how should people be asked to contribute to their care in an equitable way?"

view pdf

Cutting-edge cancer services launched under new partnership between CancerPartners UK and Spire Healthcare

2008-06-16T11:27:00.000+01:00

CancerPartners UK and leading private hospital provider Spire Healthcare this week announced a partnership that will see the organisation provide cutting edge cancer treatments on three Spire hospital sites - the first private radiotherapy services outside London.

Main release Trade release

'We must focus on the customer to revolutionise cancer care'

2008-01-16T11:32:00.000Z

Article by Professor Karol Sikora
(extracts published in the Sunday Telegraph, 2nd December 2007)

view pdf

Cancer. The Next Ten Years.

2008-01-10T11:47:00.000Z

Article by Professor Karol Sikora

view pdf

Personalised medicine for cancer: from molecular signature to therapeutic choice.

2008-01-10T11:41:00.000Z

Article by Professor Karol Sikora

In the field of cancer medicine, great strides have been made in understanding the fundamental biology of cancers and impressive treatments have emerged resulting in markedly prolonged survival for many patients. These advances mean that cancer could well become a chronic disease within the next 20 years, but that promise depends on sustained investment in innovation in both diagnostics and therapies as well as society's willingness to pay for both.

view pdf

The Cancer Reform Strategy challenges, choices and opportunities.

2008-01-10T11:36:00.001Z

Since the introduction of the NHS Cancer Plan (2000) much has been achieved in cancer care; Cancer mortality is falling by approximately 2% per annum in people under the age of 75, survival rates continue to improve and significant improvements have been made in peoples’ experience of cancer care. However, significant challenges remain and are the focus of the emergent Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS). Due for publication Autumn 2007 the CRF addresses the ongoing challenges and opportunities within cancer care, these include the rising incidence of cancer, rising expectations of public and patients, impact of new technologies upon diagnosis and treatment and financial constraints. Within these key areas the themes of choice, equity, value for money and the delivery of holistic services underpin the reforms. Having had the opportunity to participate work streams from both chemotherapy and nursing perspectives, it is clear that the face of cancer care is set to change both in the nature of service configuration and the nature of care delivery.

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