BRAIN tumours formerly ruled out as inoperable at St Luke’s Cancer Centre at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, can now be targeted on site thanks to innovative radiotherapy treatment.

The centre’s new intracranial stereotactic radiotherapy equipment, bought after £1m was raised, is now up and running.

Formerly patients had to travel to the Royal Marsden in London to be treated with the cutting edge technique used on both cancerous and benign tumours.

Highly accurate, the equipment enables patients to receive a high dose of treatment in one sitting, rather than having to attend multiple sessions over a number of weeks. It works by precisely aiming radiotherapy beams at the tumour from many different directions around the patient’s head.

Doctors use specialist software to pinpoint the exact location of the growth and then use a robotic couch, to accurately position the patient.

Due to its precision, less of the patient’s healthy tissue is exposed to radiation, which reduces the risk of side effects.

The technology can also be used for the treatment of tumours outside the brain, in the lungs, liver, prostate and pancreas.

Dr Richard Shaffer, consultant oncologist, said: “I am delighted we are now able to offer this new radiotherapy treatment that will greatly benefit our patients.

“Previously, those who need intracranial stereotactic radiotherapy had to travel to Royal Marsden Hospital, in London.

“The first group of patients we are treating are those with secondary brain tumours. These are tumours that have developed after cancerous cells have spread from elsewhere in the body.

“The technique has been found to increase survival and tumour control for these patients.”