CUH makes history with revolutionary radiation therapy for patients with liver tumours

Cork University Hospital (CUH) has become the first public hospital in Ireland to begin offering stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), said to be a “game-changing” radiation therapy which can be used to treat patients with medically inoperable primary and secondary liver cancers.

Using high beams of energy, SBRT carefully targets tumours, damaging the DNA in their cells to prevent them from growing or multiplying.

The technique is described as painless and non-invasive, offering a relatively non-toxic and short course of radiotherapy for patients.

Leading the efforts to offer this treatment to patients in CUH is professor Aisling Barry, chair of radiation oncology at UCC and consultant radiation oncologist at CUH, and Dr Sean O’Cathail, consultant radiation oncologist at CUH.

“We are thrilled to finally be able to offer this life-changing treatment to patients right here in CUH,” prof Barry said.

“SBRT allows us to deliver high precision, high dose radiation, limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissue and organs.

“The delivery of such a specialised treatment requires significant input from our radiation therapy and medical physics colleagues, who have been paramount in developing this service.

“Liver SBRT now gives us and patients another treatment option and we are proud to be the first public hospital in Ireland to do so.” 

Clinical director of cancer services at CUH, Dr Dearbhaile Collins, said CUH is “very proud” to be the first public hospital in the country to offer liver SBRT to cancer patients.

“As more people receive cancer diagnoses, it is vital that there is equal access to care and treatment across the health service.

“Our dedicated radiation oncology team has been working hard to introduce this treatment option and will continue to do so for the many patients who will benefit from it.

“We look forward to seeing the impact it will have and the real difference it will make for patients and their families,” Dr Collins added.

Patients receiving SBRT at CUH will do so at the state-of-the-art Glandore Centre which opened its doors in 2019 and sees approximately 2,000 patients each year.

“The Glandore Centre epitomises our future goal for CUH - to be a centre of excellence offering world-class health care to all members of the public right here in Cork,” CEO of CUH, David Donegan, said.

“The high calibre of staff we have here in CUH makes this possible.

“They strive to provide the best possible level of care to patients and are extremely passionate about their specialties.

“I would like to congratulate professor Aisling Barry, Dr Sean O’Cathail, Dr Dearbhaile Collins and the wider radiation oncology team on making SBRT a reality for patients here at CUH and look forward to seeing the positive impact this has on cancer care in Cork.” 

Patients are expected to begin receiving liver stereotactic body radiation therapy in CUH this month.