“CyberKnife is an incredible machine. It almost seems like magic”

Thanks to our generous supporters, more patients like Alastair are benefiting from precision radiotherapy delivered by two CyberKnife machines at The Royal Marsden

Alastair Lynn was just 29 when cancer struck. In November 2019, he was diagnosed with stage 4 testicular germ-cell cancer, which had spread to several other parts of his body.

“Within 24 hours of my diagnosis, I was at The Royal Marsden starting treatment,” he recalls. “I’ve since had around 230 infusions of chemotherapy, two brain operations, open abdomen surgery, an orchidectomy [removal of a testicle], stem cell transplants and CyberKnife radiotherapy to target the spread in my brain.”

Now 32, Alastair believes that CyberKnife saved his life: “It’s an incredible machine – it almost seems like it’s magic. But it’s like that old adage: magic is just science we haven’t discovered yet.”

Radiotherapy pioneers

In 2011, The Royal Marsden became one of the first hospitals in London to install the CyberKnife robotic radiotherapy system, thanks to funding from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The state-of-the-art machine at the Chelsea hospital site has since been used to treat more than 3,800 patients.

And in 2020, the Charity funded a second CyberKnife, this time at The Royal Marsden in Sutton. Now, even more patients can benefit from precision radiotherapy, with more than 600 patients treated to date.

Helen Taylor, Lead CyberKnife Radiographer, says: “The Royal Marsden has one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the UK, delivering the very latest technology thanks to radiotherapy with CyberKnife, it’s really transformed their treatment.”

With the Charity’s support, The Royal Marsden also uses CyberKnife technology in international research that aims to improve radiotherapy treatments across a range of cancers. One example is the PACE-C trial –funded by gifts in Wills left to the Charity – which is looking into whether prostate cancer can be cured in just five treatments.

Reassuring treatment

What is CyberKnife?

investment in two CyberKnife machines, which were both funded by the Charity.

“Standard radiotherapy can be quite demanding. But using CyberKnife means that patients can be spared numerous visits to hospital and will experience fewer side effects, allowing them to get back to their lives sooner. For those who can receive

As for Alastair, he now sees light at the end of the tunnel. “Thanks to CyberKnife, I’m now in a monitoring phase and not on any active treatment, which feels like a miracle,” he says.

“Having the CyberKnife treatment and knowing that it was only targeting the harmful areas in my head, and avoiding the healthy tissue, was very reassuring.”

CyberKnife is the first and only system to use a robotic arm to deliver radiotherapy with pinpoint accuracy. The radiation beam is focused with greater intensity and precision than standard types of radiotherapy. This means that less healthy tissue is damaged and fewer treatment sessions are needed, so patients can spend less time in hospital. The robotic arm moves around the patient and can be positioned at almost any angle, so it is ideal for treating hard-to-reach tumours such as brain, spine, lung, neck and prostate cancers.

Please visit royalmarsden.org/ cyberknife to donate so we can continue to invest in pioneering equipment

Professor Rob Duncombe turned heads when he ran the TCS London Marathon last October in a rather unusual costume. The Royal Marsden’s Chief Pharmacist dressed as an eight-foot oak tree for the 26.2-mile run, raising a fantastic £4,500 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Rob’s costume was inspired by raising money for the Charity’s Oak Cancer Centre appeal. Due to open to patients this summer, the Oak Cancer Centre will bring together researchers, clinicians and patients under one roof, ensuring The Royal Marsden can continue to innovate and advance treatments for cancer patients everywhere.

Rooting for Rob

Rob says: “When I was offered the chance to run the London Marathon for the Charity, I wanted to make it a special occasion and do something a bit different. The patients at the hospital inspire me so much – they endure far more in their cancer journey than I did running a marathon dressed as a tree.

“Over my career, I’ve had the privilege of seeing drugs developed at The Royal Marsden progress from early clinical trials to being used to treat patients. This incredible pioneering research can only continue through the support of the Charity.”

To challenge himself even further, Rob also tried to beat the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in a tree costume (male), which stands at four hours, five minutes and six seconds.

Although he missed out on the record, completing the course in four hours and 40 minutes, Rob thoroughly enjoyed the unique experience of running in costume while being cheered on by a crowd of thousands.

“For me, the last mile was absolutely incredible,” he says. “The crowds were 10 or 12 people deep at times and everyone was shouting ‘tree, tree, tree’. The hardest thing was keeping hydrated – it was hot inside the costume. I had to take on water at almost every stop along the route.”

Branching out

Rob believes the Charity-funded Oak Cancer Centre will be an “amazing” building for both staff and patients. “The new pharmacy will transform the way my team manages outpatient prescriptions,” he says.

“We have a new automated dispensing robot for the pharmacy and this will be directly linked to the hospital’s new electronic patient record system, bringing a smoother process as well as enhancing the patient experience.”

Thank you for supporting our appeal

We’re so grateful to all the supporters who have raised funds for the Oak Cancer Centre – every penny counts

Thanks to your support, the Oak Cancer Centre will be opening in the summer. See royalmarsden.org/ appeal for more details

Julie Rose (above), who is being treated at The Royal Marsden for thyroid cancer, took part in our Walk 60 event to raise money for the new centre. She says: “The research that will take place in the Oak Cancer Centre will help patients – not just now, but in the future, too.”

Malcolm Pearce (above) was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019 and was treated at The Royal Marsden as part of a clinical trial. He’s now in remission and has since fundraised for the appeal. He says: “The Oak Cancer Centre will be a game changer.”