A unique collaboration between Paul Strickland Scanner Centre (PSSC) and Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) is seen as hugely beneficial to the care and treatment of cancer patients at Mount Vernon.
A unique collaboration between Paul Strickland Scanner Centre (PSSC) and Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) is seen as hugely beneficial to the care and treatment of cancer patients at Mount Vernon.
The collaboration, which allows for much deeper radiological input into the cancer treatment planning process than is typical elsewhere in the health service, is just one example of the close working relationship between the two organisations and the value PSSC adds to MVCC.
Cancer patients who are deemed appropriate for radiotherapy at the Multidisciplinary Team Meeting (MDT) undergo extensive planning to ensure the appropriate dose of radiotherapy is applied to the right areas of cancer. This takes into account the localised spread as well as relevant other diseased tissues.
The peer review system allows the planned radiotherapy treatment to be vetted by colleagues who are then able to comment on and discuss each case on its own merit. The overall objective is to administer the correct dose of radiotherapy to the correct region, minimise side effects and improve outcomes.
Dr Subhadip Ghosh-Ray, our Consultant Head and Neck Radiologist, has weekly meetings with Dr Catherine Lemon and Dr Kevin Chiu, radiation oncologists at MVCC.
During the meetings:
- Any additional radiological observations are brought up.
- Any specific questions from the radiation oncologists are answered by the radiologist.
- Any changes are also discussed and agreed between all three specialists.
- A consensus is reached for all patient plans.
Together, the radiotherapy plan is then approved and set for administration.
Dr Ghosh-Ray said: “We’re not aware of a similar kind of collaborative arrangement between oncologists and radiologists elsewhere. “The oncologists at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre have fed back that they hugely appreciate our radiology input.”
