mri appeal

2022 saw the launch of the MR Imaging Suite in The Beatson. This state-of-the-art technology – funded entirely by donations – creates a resource which will dramatically improve and save thousands of lives. The MRI initiative was driven by the need for more precision; targeting Radiotherapy more accurately on the tumour while minimising harm to surrounding healthy tissue.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Endowment Fund, 20,000 people will now receive precision Radiotherapy that will be more effective and cause fewer side effects.

The new MR Imaging Suite will open doors to new research, allowing clinical researchers to develop and trial new treatments for people in Scotland and beyond. It will also further enhance The Beatson’s position as a leader in advanced precision Radiotherapy.

The new facility and the transformational improvements in treatment it makes possible, further drive our ambition to push the boundaries of what is possible in cancer treatment, working together with NHS and university colleagues.

These advances in imaging technologies together with advances in research are putting us on the cusp of a revolution in medicine – allowing treatment to be personalised and precisely tailored to each individual – improving treatment options, effectiveness and outcomes.

Total funded: £3.6m

Eithne MacPherson is the Professional Lead for Therapeutic Radiography at The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. She explains the difference the new MRI scanner will have on patients and staff in the years ahead.

“Before our Radiotherapy MRI service commenced, patients came for a planning CT scan to facilitate treatment planning. This MRI scanner is not used for cancer diagnosis; it enables us to perform more precise Radiotherapy planning. MR Imaging offers us superior soft tissue detail compared to CT, so now certain tumour groups will have CT and MRI planning scans that are then fused to allow high precision outlining of the tumour area. MRI gives clinicians the confidence to contour the tumour and avoid organs at risk accurately. This reduction of the target volume allows dose escalation which will improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Patients who will benefit the most from the scanner are those who have prostate, brain, head and neck, gynaecological, rectal and anal types of cancer. Brachytherapy patients will also benefit. Abdominal tumours e.g. pancreas and oligometastatic tumours will also benefit as better soft tissue definition is required in the abdomen due to tumour motion and proximity to organs at risk.

As well as using MRI for Radiotherapy planning, we are hoping to use it to monitor response to Radiotherapy. This will be particularly advantageous in head and neck cancer as the patient will have an MRI scan for Radiotherapy planning and then at agreed stages during their treatment.

If the tumour is responding better in certain areas, we can tailor the plan to reduce the dose to these areas. However, if other areas are not responding we can dose escalate whilst ensuring extra dose to organs at risk is avoided.

As the largest Radiotherapy centre in Scotland we treat a wide variety of patients with complex cancers. This new imaging modality will ensure we are offering personalised Radiotherapy planning to increase cancer survival rates and improve the quality of life after Radiotherapy by reducing Radiotherapy late effects.” beatsoncancercharity.org

Our volunteers provide support in many different ways. From patientfacing services to fundraising activities and, now, with research projects. Many volunteer-supported and volunteer-led services continued to operate throughout another year which saw Covid-19 restrictions, and we began to welcome back many of our patient-facing volunteers.

Patient Support

85% of volunteer time was spent supporting patients. Nearly 600 hours of volunteer support was given in the Day Case Units, providing the Tea Trolley service to patients receiving Chemotherapy.

“This is a wonderful service – I really appreciate it. It’s always great to see you.” Patient at The Beatson

660 hours were dedicated to the Give and Go Service which was drawn to a close when visiting was reintroduced at The Beatson. The service was delivered in April 2021, December 2021, January and February 2022.

The Beatson Café was open with over 5,000 hours dedicated by volunteers to serving hot food and drink to NHS staff, patients and their families. They also helped keep them safe by following COVID-19 protocols.

From November 2021 our volunteer drivers started to support the Neo-Microbe Breast Study, transporting research kit to and from patients’ homes. Our volunteers also helped load content onto MP3 players for patients. These were used to help relax patients ahead of treatment.

Beatson in Bloom

Our wonderful gardening team made a welcome return to The Beatson in the Autumn to give the gardens some much needed care.

Fundraising Support

When restrictions started to ease the volunteer team helped with a number of Beatson Cancer Charity events, such as the Bard & His Belles Burns Supper, CeilidhFest, Gin & Sing, Janey Godley’s Soup Pot Tour, our Beatson Ladies Lunch and a range of golf days, bucket collections and football matches.

The Beatson Befriending Service continued to be active, supporting 65 patients/carers who received ongoing support from our volunteer befrienders. 877 calls were made, which helped us reach a landmark 1,000 calls made overall since starting the service.