Latest technology cuts cancer care wait times

• $2.5 million linear accelerator reduces patient wait from weeks to days
• High-tech machine makes certain cancer treatments 66% faster
• Fiona Stanley Hospital Cancer Centre now operating at full speed

Western Australian oncology patients will benefit from greatly reduced waiting times and faster treatment, with the commissioning of the latest in linear accelerator (linac) technology at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH).

Officially launching the $2.5 million machine today, Health Minister John Day said the new linac would help deliver significant improvements in targeted radiation therapies.

“This fourth machine will enable the hospital’s radiation oncology department to treat many more people each day, slashing overall waiting and treatment times,” Mr Day said.

“At present, non-urgent patients can wait up to four weeks for radiation therapy, however now there will be little or no wait, with potential capacity lifting to 200 patients per day.

“Also, most patients will be in and out within 20 minutes, allowing them to spend less time in a hospital waiting room and more time at home with their families.”

Planning for the Fiona Stanley Hospital Cancer Centre included the staged installation of four linacs.  The first two were operating from the opening of oncology services in February 2015, with the third relocated from Royal Perth Hospital late last year.

“We are now operating at full design speed for radiation oncology,” the Minister said.

“This new linac is also the most technologically advanced, allowing for specialist treatment known as ‘flattening filter free’.

“This speeds up the rate at which the carefully targeted radiation dose is delivered.  For certain patients, this feature can reduce treatment time by two-thirds, so typically what was a 15-minute session is now down to five minutes.  As patients must lay perfectly still during treatment, this greatly reduces discomfort as well.”

The extra machine also provides a buffer for maintenance downtime on the other linacs.

“I have been delighted to hear from a cancer survivor about the quality of care she received in the new Fiona Stanley Hospital Cancer Centre,” Mr Day said.

“With four machines now in use, there will be even more patient-friendly treatment times between 8am and 5pm weekdays, instead of the extended hours previously required to meet demand.”