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<p>Significant investments have been, and continue to be, made to improve both the
efficiency of radiotherapy equipment and the range of more innovative radiotherapy
treatments that are routinely available to patients:</p><p>- In October 2016, NHS
England announced a £130 million fund to modernise radiotherapy across England, ensuring
that older linear accelerators (LINACs - radiotherapy machines) are either upgraded
or replaced. These upgraded/new machines will deliver both a wider range of innovative
treatment techniques and are also significantly faster, enabling more patients to
benefit from the latest technology regardless of where they live;</p><p>- NHS England
has also committed £15 million over three years to evaluate the benefits of stereotactic
ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in the treatment of a number of new clinical indications.
SABR is an innovative radiotherapy technique that more precisely targets cancers with
radiotherapy, reducing the damage to the surrounding tissues. A further £6 million
was also committed by NHS England to support a number of Cancer Research UK sponsored
SABR clinical trials. It is envisaged that the results of both the trials and the
evaluation programme will enable more patients to routinely access SABR treatments;</p><p>-
Following an investment of £23 million to improve access to Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy
(IMRT), another more precise form of radiotherapy with fewer side effects, the National
Health Service is now regularly exceeding access standards, meaning that more people
are benefiting from this treatment. The percentage of radiotherapy patients who received
IMRT increased from 10% (1,660) in April to June 2012 to 44% (8,865) in January to
March 2017. The current access standard is 24%; and</p><p>- In 2012, the Government
provided £250 million to build two proton beam therapy centres in England (at University
College London Hospital and The Christie in Manchester), the first of which will become
operational in autumn 2018.</p><p>No assessment has been made of the effect of national
prices for radiotherapy treatment.</p>
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