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CyberKnife: Beyond Cancer
CyberKnife Cancer Treatment and Charity Partnerships
In this episode of CyberKnife: Beyond Cancer, Mike Hammond, the Chief Executive of University Hospitals Birmingham charity; discusses the crucial role of fundraising in supporting the mission of the Charity to provide excellent patient care. He highlights the importance of introducing advanced cancer treatment machines, such as CyberKnife and Tomotherapy, in UK hospitals, and the challenges of securing NHS funding.
CyberKnife has advantages over traditional radiotherapy, including its superior accuracy and ability to target tumours more precisely. Mike shares how CyberKnife benefits patients by reducing side effects, and their plans to continue trials to demonstrate CyberKnife's effectiveness to make it a standard NHS treatment for more types of cancer treatment.
Guest
Mike Hammond, Charity Chief Executive
Mike joined the hospital charity in February 2009, following 12 years at Bradford & Bingley, where he was Head of Internal Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility.
Since 2009, Mike has led a successful relaunch and rebrand of the hospital charity which now works across four of the Midland’s busiest hospitals - Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Heartlands Hospital, Good Hope Hospital and Solihull Hospital.
Under Mike’s leadership the Charity has spent over £60 million supporting patients, families and staff at the hospitals. Mike has driven many multi-million-pound appeals at the Charity including bringing the first CyberKnife cancer treatment machine in the UK outside of London to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
Key Takeaways
The charity work is really making a difference by supporting patients, families and staff in ways that go above and beyond standard NHS care. Partnering with other organisations, such as the Stan Bowley Trust, means achieving more and helping more people.
CyberKnife is a game-changer for cancer treatment - it can precisely target tumours in tricky spots with fewer side effects than traditional radiotherapy. It uses precise radiotherapy that can target tumours in ways traditional methods cannot by tracking patient movement.
Fisher House - the military hospital facility provides an important home-away-from-home for families of injured service members undergoing long-term treatment. Having that support makes a big difference in their recovery.
Best Moments
"I remember Geoff and I being here on a Saturday morning, and just standing outside the radiotherapy department waiting for this big articulated truck with a with a crane on and a big, big box on the back… ‘that’s our CyberKnife machine!’…we were really excited.”
“And he said I can't do it. I can't have that treatment. I can't go through having those bolts put into my head again, I just will just have to give up. And then actually, the doctor say’s say, ‘oh, no, no, we've got a CyberKnife machine now, we, we don't need to bolt your head in, you can just lie there and wait.”
“We're the second largest radiotherapy department in the country, behind London's and London's isn't where you would expect it to be. It's not Great Ormond Street Hospital because they don't have a radiotherapy department. It's at one of the London teaching hospitals.”
The Stan Bowley Trust
The aim of the Stan Bowley Trust is to raise money for CyberKnife, increase awareness of CyberKnife treatments and provide information for patients and their families.
If you'd like to find out more about CyberKnife radiotherapy treatment, the Stan Bowley trust and the work we do then visit our website, thestanbowleytrust.org
More episodes
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4. Celebrating Cancer Survivors and Fundraising for the Future
25:02This episode of the CyberKnife: Beyond Cancer discusses the work of the Stan Bowley Trust charity and their efforts to raise funds for CyberKnife radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients. The trust was set up in memory of Stan Bowley, whose life was extended by CyberKnife treatment after being diagnosed with an inoperable cancer.Ian Bowley, from the Stan Bowley Trust, talks about his brother Alan (known as Stan) and the history of the trust. He shares the various fundraising events they hold each year including a ball with over 300 people in attendance. Tim Wilson, from Logistics World, explains how he got involved in sponsoring the trust's events to support cancer patients. Both emphasise the importance of funding this innovative treatment and helping more people access it on the NHS.The conversation provides information on CyberKnife technology, the clinical trials process, and the trust's ongoing goals. It highlights the significant impact of the charity in helping to fund the first CyberKnife machine in Birmingham and continue supporting cancer patients.GuestsIan Bowley - Co-founder of the Stan Bowley Trust, which was set up in memory of his brother Alan (known as Stan). Ian describes Stan's story of being diagnosed with three different cancers and how CyberKnife treatment successfully treated one of the tumors, extending his life. As a trustee, Ian continues to lead the charity's fundraising efforts.Tim Wilson - Managing Director of Logistics World, a business that sponsors events for the Stan Bowley Trust. Tim explains how he got involved with the charity after meeting Ian. As a supporter, Tim values giving back through sponsorships and helping increase awareness of smaller charities like this that funds cancer treatments.Key TakeawaysThe Stan Bowley Trust was set up to honour Stan's memory and help others after CyberKnife successfully treated his otherwise inoperable tumour - showing how it can give hope in tough situations.CyberKnife is a robotic technology that can precisely target tumours while avoiding healthy tissue damage, giving patients an alternative to more traditional treatments.Throughout the year, the trust puts on some great fundraising events, especially their annual ball, to support the life-changing CyberKnife program at a local hospital.Best Moments"CyberKnife absolutely worked, you know, 100% was a success.”"The results are phenomenal. They really are. And, you know, whilst we want to push it and push it and push it, and these clinical trials have been ongoing now for getting 10 years. You can't, you can't rush these things.”"It's not all about the money that's raised, it's about the awareness.”The Stan Bowley TrustThe aim of the Stan Bowley Trust is to raise money for CyberKnife, increase awareness of CyberKnife treatments and provide information for patients and their families.If you'd like to find out more about CyberKnife radiotherapy treatment, the Stan Bowley trust and the work we do then visit our website, thestanbowleytrust.org2. CyberKnife: The Lifesaver
33:05This episode of CyberKnife: Beyond Cancer, features Howard Ballantyne, a cancer survivor who was treated with CyberKnife radiotherapy. He shares his personal journey of being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2005 and undergoing various treatments like surgery and chemotherapy. In 2009 he discovered a new tumour and was unable to have surgery. In an incredible turn of fate, Howard discovered CyberKnife treatment and traveled to France for treatment, which successfully treated his cancer.Since then, he has remained cancer-free for over 15 years and became involved with the Stan Bowley Trust charity that supports CyberKnife treatment. Howard shares his cancer experience, the CyberKnife treatment process and his role with the charity in fundraising and promoting awareness of this important treatment option.Key TakeawaysCyberKnife provided an effective treatment option for Howard when other options like surgery weren't possible due to the location of his tumour. The treatment successfully killed the cancer cells.Compared to other radiotherapy and treatments like chemotherapy, CyberKnife had minimal side effects for Howard which demonstrates how CyberKnife can be a potentially life-saving treatment when no other options are available or effective for a patient.Howard’s involvement with the Stan Bowley Trust charity highlights the important role the Charity plays in supporting and raising awareness of CyberKnife.Best Moments"…It's been a lifesaver. I don't honestly think I'd be talking to you now, if it hadn't been for CyberKnife. You know, that's made such a massive difference to my life…”“It killed the cancer cells. I still have checkups even now, but obviously, it was January 2009. But we're 15 years on from that. So in that sense, it seems to have been pretty effective.”“I can remember laughing to myself, I went for the treatment one day, and going back into the centre of Lille and going in a restaurant and having a lovely lunch with a couple of glasses of wine. And I'm thinking I've just had this treatment and I'm here. Normally when people have treatment they are laid up in a hospital bed for days on end. So I felt that it was quite a very generous regime. Very kind to the patient.”The Stan Bowley TrustThe aim of the Stan Bowley Trust is to raise money for CyberKnife, increase awareness of CyberKnife treatments and provide information for patients and their families.If you'd like to find out more about CyberKnife radiotherapy treatment, the Stan Bowley trust and the work we do then visit our website, thestanbowleytrust.org1. Delivering Precision Cancer Treatment
43:21This episode of CyberKnife: Beyond Cancer, looks into the world of radiotherapy treatment planning at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, the hospital's history and how they've used traditional linear accelerators to deliver radiation therapy.Geoff Heyes, Head of Radiotherapy Treatment Planning at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham talks about the CyberKnife machine, including its innovative robotic arms that make it possible to deliver precise radiation therapy with minimal damage to surrounding tissue. These features allow for smaller treatment margins, which changes everything for patients. Geoff discusses the journey to getting this technology up and running at the hospital, including the role that fundraising events and charity funding played.GuestGeoff Heyes, Head of Radiotherapy Treatment PlanningGeoff has over 20 years of experience working at the hospital, having originally studied for a master's and diploma in medical and radiation physics. He specialises in small field dosimetry, which involves dose calculations for very small radiation fields as small as 5mm in diameter. Geoff played a lead role in the hospital obtaining its CyberKnife machine and has extensive expertise in treatment planning and operating the system.Key TakeawaysOver 3,000 cancer patients have received treatment so far in Birmingham thanks to the collaborative efforts of the trust and hospital charity.Continued clinical trials are still needed, to demonstrate CyberKnife's benefits for more cancer types to be approved for NHS use and help more people access this treatment option.Geoff's specialisation in small field dosimetry led to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital getting the CyberKnife machine in 2013.Best Moments"…when we had the original business cases, we thought our machine would be able to reach about 240 patients a year by year five, I think that was the rejected maximum. We are now routinely treating over 400 patients a year. So it exceeded what we thought it would be able to do. And the patient numbers exceeded what we thought would be available.”"It really kind of brought home, of the limitations of using this device that we screwed into a patients skull. And our only option at that time was to refer the patient down to London for treatment, which was the closest CyberKnife unit to us. But that patient had a big impact on me because it was like we, we should be really trying to push to use a system that doesn't require us to screw a frame into a patient in the early 2000s. It seemed barbaric.”“Yes, it's precision. It is suited for small lesions, small, kind of less than about two to three centimetres.”“So whilst there are other options for lesions in the brain, CyberKnife gives us the ability to do both. So we've got the experience of delivering high precision high focused radiotherapy from the brain lesions, but we can translate that to treating these lesions outside.”The Stan Bowley TrustThe aim of the Stan Bowley Trust is to raise money for CyberKnife, increase awareness of CyberKnife treatments and provide information for patients and their families.If you'd like to find out more about CyberKnife radiotherapy treatment, the Stan Bowley trust and the work we do then visit our website, thestanbowleytrust.orgThe Stan Bowley Trust
00:36Join us as we celebrate the triumphs of CyberKnife-treated survivors, honor the dedicated medical professionals behind the scenes, and support The Stan Bowley Trust in spreading hope and awareness.The aim of The Stan Bowley Trust is to raise money for CyberKnife, increase awareness of CyberKnife treatments, and provide information for patients and their families.The Stan Bowley Trust website