Radiosurgery

EDM number 586 in 2009-10, proposed by Kim Howells on 13/01/2010.
Categorised under the topic of Health services.

That this House believes that high-precision radiosurgery can offer thousands of cancer patients a treatment pathway previously denied to them; recognises that the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is the first next generation technology that is able to treat tumours anywhere in the body, including primary cancer in the lung, prostate, spine and brain, and secondary tumours from breast and colon cancer, non-invasively with sub-millimetre accuracy; welcomes the fact that the CyberKnife, unlike conventional radiotherapy, is able to treat patients in three days instead of 30 days as a result of its accuracy and multiple beam angles; is concerned that there are currently 180 CyberKnife systems treating patients around the world, including four in Turkey and two in India, but none within the NHS; understands that a number of primary care trusts (PCTs) have authorised and paid for patients to be treated by the CyberKnife in the private sector in the UK and abroad, at a cost of £22,000 and above; further understands that if it were available within the NHS the treatment cost would be approximately £10,000 and that the continued unavailability of CyberKnife within the NHS makes little economic sense; calls on the NHS to approve the use of the CyberKnife system so that PCTs have sufficient guidance to install the technology; and urges the Government to define a radiosurgery tariff that takes into account CyberKnife's shorter treatment time, so that NHS patients will be able to benefit from access to this next generation treatment for cancer.

This motion has been signed by a total of 57 MPs.