Cancer patients in the north of England are benefitting from a new nuclear medicine and molecular radiotherapy suite that is streamlining and personalising their care. Professor Jon Wadsley discusses the unmet patient need that instigated its development, the multidisciplinary efforts involved in maintaining its safety and plans for future research projects to further support patients and optimise their treatment.
In March 2024, a state-of-the-art nuclear medicine and molecular radiotherapy suite opened at Weston Park Cancer Centre, bringing a range of high-precision technologies to cancer patients in Sheffield, UK.
Its aim is to pair sophisticated imaging techniques, which can detect and image tumours and visualise organ systems in real time, with targeted therapies to potentially improve the efficacy and lessen the side of effects of cancer treatments.
With a host of new targeted treatments set to come on board in the next few years, the new facility is designed to optimise their delivery over the longer-term, as well as allowing patients to benefit from current innovations and to take part in pioneering cancer research trials, which was a key driver of the initial plans.
Tackling an unmet patient need
Professor Jon Wadsley is a consultant clinical oncologist at Weston Park Cancer Centre and was heavily involved in the design, delivery and now running of the suite. ‘Planning for the new suite began about five years ago, recognising the growing demand for nuclear medicine therapies, both for existing treatments such as lutetium oxodotreotide for neuroendocrine tumours, and for new therapies in development for many other more common types of cancer,’ he says.
‘The new facilities have significantly expanded our capacity to deliver these treatments, created a more pleasant environment for our patients, and also include scanning facilities,’ he adds.
Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are a particular clinical interest of Professor Wadsley, and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, of which the Weston Cancer Centre is a part, is accredited as one of 14 European Neuroendocrine Tumour Society Centre of Excellence in the UK and one of 68 globally.
This new suite builds on this reputation and puts them in good stead to hopefully renew the centre status at the next review point. ‘To gain accreditation, centres are required to demonstrate that they can provide a full range of multidisciplinary services for NET patients, including nuclear medicine therapies, as well as demonstrating active participation in research to further improve treatments,’ says Professor Wadsley. ‘There is a programme of renewal of centre status every five years to ensure that standards are being maintained.’
Multidisciplinary efforts to maintain safety
The multidisciplinary element of this status is something that Professor Wadsley champions and he notes that ‘the safe delivery of nuclear medicine therapies requires very close teamwork between a number of different professionals’.
‘The key personnel involved in the actual delivery of treatment include oncologists, nuclear medicine technologists and clinical scientists, as well as input from radiopharmacy within the nuclear medicine department,’ he says. ‘However, we rely on a much wider team including endocrinologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons and specialist nurses to ensure that the most appropriate treatment is chosen for each patient.’
Keeping these staff members safe is of paramount importance and this was a key consideration when designing the suite. ‘Since these treatments involve the administration of radioactive substances to patients, specially designed facilities are essential with appropriate shielding and drainage to ensure that patients can be treated safely and staff exposure to radiation is kept as low as possible,’ Professor Wadsley explains.
Patient safety is improved further with the inclusion of specialist scanning facilities available within the new suite ‘to ensure patients are deriving the most benefit possible from the treatments’. Previously, patients had to travel to another site to be scanned but now they have access to each part of their treatment journey in one place – something that Professor Wadsley says is one of the most significant developments.
Research and personalisation in nuclear medicine
The single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) scanner allows the team to detect exactly where in the patient’s body the treatment has gone. ‘This confirms that tumours are being treated, and that normal organs are not being adversely affected,’ Professor Wadsley says. ‘This also opens up opportunities for further research into how our treatments can be individualised to derive the greatest benefit from treatment for each patient.’
Making better use of existing therapies in this way will undoubtedly have a positive impact on patients going forwards, and this is just one avenue of research that the team is pursuing to improve access to the latest treatments and innovations.
‘We are in discussion with a number of organisations who are developing new treatments in this field and keen to work with us to test these treatments in clinical trials, allowing our patients early access to novel therapies,’ Professor Wadsley explains. ‘We are also working with colleagues in other UK centres to develop research studies aiming to better personalise treatments for our patients.’
Having made a significant difference to patients in the few short months since the suite opened and with so much research potential and a dedicated multidisciplinary team driving efforts forwards, the future is bright for cancer patients in Sheffield and the wider region.