Advances in Tackling Cancer

26 January 10

A specialist new X-ray machine is being used to speed up the diagnosis of breast cancer in Fife.

The equipment at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline allows biopsy samples to be tested immediately in the operating theatre, avoiding the need for tissue to be taken elsewhere in the hospital for analysis.

It allows instant confirmation of whether a sample is cancerous - meaning the surgeon no longer needs to suspend operations while waiting for results to arrive.

The Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon met with specialist breast cancer care staff who use the equipment this morning, following a meeting with the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR).

Ms Sturgeon said:

"We are committed to improving the care and treatment of cancer in Scotland, as well as supporting research."

"Our NHS is constantly improving its cancer treatments to offer the best quality care as quickly, safely and close to home as possible. The specialist breast cancer diagnostic equipment now being used at Queen Margaret gives quicker results and cuts the length of time patients spend in theatre, which is good news for women awaiting their diagnosis.

"But it also makes the system more efficient, since the time that used to be spent in X-ray departments testing samples can now be used to carry out more mammography. As well as making the best use of NHS resources, this is another reminder that a more efficient NHS directly helps patients."

NHS Fife's Lead Cancer Clinician, Clive Preston, said:

"The purchase of this equipment enhances the standard of care for patients undergoing surgical excision or core biopsy procedures, by reducing time in theatre waiting for results to come back from another department."

The Health Secretary also met with scientific and fund-raising staff at the St Andrews base of the Association for International Cancer Research.

Ms Sturgeon added:

"In addition to the work done by our NHS and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office, the voluntary sector makes a major contribution to supporting cancer research and care. Thanks to the AICR here in Fife, hundreds of projects in more than two dozen countries are looking into how to improve cancer treatment and prevention."

AICR Chief Executive Norman Barrett said:

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to tell Ms Sturgeon about what we do at AICR. From our headquarters here in St Andrews we are currently funding 214 cancer research projects in 24 countries - that's an investment of more than 35 million pounds.

"We are dedicated to the worldwide fight against cancer by financing the research needed to save lives. It's important for people to understand that for every project we fund there is another worthy of funding that we simply cannot afford. Therefore, a big part of our time is spent urging people to help raise as much money as possible and enable us to support more vital cancer research."

Source: www.scotland.gov.uk