The Royal Oldham Hospital has received an innovative piece of equipment that will allow surgeons to make critical advances in bowel cancer treatment.
The hospital in the first in the Northwest to offer this procedure joining over 20 NHS hospitals across England as early adopters of this new technology.
The medical device called Speedboat a Submucosal Dissection Device (SSD), allows endoscopists to remove complex polyps and even early cancer without the patient requiring further treatment. The new equipment also allows endoscopists to cut deeper through the layers of the bowel when removing a lesion reducing the chances of patients requiring an operation.
Dr Sal Khalid, Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Royal Oldham Hospital said: “I am delighted that we will be able to provide this state of the art, safe and effective treatment for our patients at their local hospital. This is a great step forward in the treatment we provide with the technique reducing the chances of recurrence following the removal of a lesion from 15 percent to 1 percent.
“We are known in the region for our advanced endoscopy services with this new technique expanding the treatment options that we can offer to our patients. The establishment of this service will help us maintain our status as one of the leading advanced endoscopy services in the country and help us with our goal towards prevention, early detection, and treatment of bowel cancer.”
About Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer. Approximately 1:18 of the population in Britain will develop bowel cancer in their lifetime. On average, over 46,000 patients a year get diagnosed with bowel cancer and it claims over 16,000 lives each year.
The treatment and cure of this condition depends on early diagnosis. Over 90 per cent of bowel cancers are curable if diagnosed early.
Almost all bowel cancers start the journey as a polyp before turning into a cancer. A polyp is a growth that can occur in the bowel which slowly progresses over several years, some develop into bowel cancer.
These polyps can be detected and removed through colonoscopy which is a simple and safe camera test. It is the best method to diagnose and treat polyps and prevent their progression into bowel cancer.