Singleton is leading the way in Wales by taking part in a clinical trial to reduce the risk of women with breast cancer developing heart problems in the future. The HeartSpare study involves recruiting nine volunteer patients, all due to have radiotherapy to their left breast at Singleton Hospital. They will be taught a technique to hold their breath while having treatment – shifting their heart out of the way of the radiotherapy beam. The first stage of the HeartSpare trial was carried out at the Royal Marsden Hospital.Now the second stage is being rolled out to a number of UK centres, with Singleton the only hospital in Wales to be selected. Consultant Clinical Oncologist Dr Delia Pudney said women having left breast radiotherapy had a greater risk of developing heart problems later in life than those having it to the right breast. “That is because the heart receives a low dose of radiation as well,” she said. “By teaching patients to take a deep breath and hold it during treatment, the heart moves down and the radiation misses it.” The first patient to volunteer is Jackie Roberts, from Carmarthen, currently Deputy Chief Constable of Dyfed Powys Police. Jackie was diagnosed last August and has had a lumpectomy. She said: “When I read what HeartSpare was about there didn’t seem to be any downside. It didn’t take me very long to make my decision once the opportunity was presented to me.” (L-r: Consultant Clinical Oncologist Delia Pudney, Senior Radiographer Sarah Butt, patient Jackie Roberts, Research Radiographer Stuart Foyle, Clinical Technologist Laura Williams, CT Superintendent Lynne Vaughan and Research Nurse Elaine Brinkworth)
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 17:30:01 +0000
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