HAMPSHIRE is to receive a multi–million-pound hand-out to help fight cancer.

The University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) will be given £3m to buy the latest radiotherapy equipment which will help save lives.

The trust will use the money to buy new radiotherapy planning software, two CT scanners and new machines called linacs, which can pin-point radiation treatment and cause the patient fewer side-effects.

Dr Catherine Heath, clinical lead for oncology at UHS, said: “We will buy the very latest radiotherapy machineries which will deliver more complex treatments and will precisely concentrate on the area of the body affected by cancer to improve the outcome and the side effects of the therapy.”

She explained that worldwide nearly 40% of cancer patients that were cured had received radiotherapy treatment.

“Some people think radiotherapy is old-fashioned, but new machineries are high-tech and will help to deliver more complex treatments,” she said.

“This funding announcement is excellent news for our radiotherapy service and patients across the south and further afield as it forms part of our major linac replacement programme”, added Dr Heath, who heads specialist team including doctors, medical physicists and around 80 radiographers.

“We have seen some fantastic developments in cancer treatment for patients at our hospitals in recent years so it is essential we remain at the forefront of advances in technology and equipment – and this funding, along with our wider investment programme, will ensure that happens.”

The oncology unit based in Southampton is one of the only 12 regional cancer centres in the country and has two million people in its catchment area.

They also involve nearly 500 patients each year in national and international trials and give them the opportunity to access new drugs before they become widely available.

Matthew Hayes, clinical director for NHS England’s Wessex Cancer Alliance and a consultant urological surgeon at UHS, said: “This is excellent news for patients in the region living with cancer and for our hardworking staff.

"The replacement of ageing equipment will mean cancer services are more fit for purpose and will see improved outcomes and a better experience for our patients.”

The £3m grant to Southampton is part of £130 million investment to upgrade and replace radiotherapy equipment across the NHS.