The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has become one of the first UK hospitals to have a linear accelerator (linac) treatment machine with new technology with the potential to transform the way radiotherapy is delivered.

The new Varian Halcyon with Hypersight – which arrived on site at CCC-Liverpool on Saturday 11th January and is expected to be ready for patients by the end of March – is unlike any linac the hospital has had before.

One obvious difference is the shape. While most linacs deliver treatment through a C-shaped arm that rotates around the patient, which can be quite noisy, the Halcyon linac delivers it through an O-shaped ring. As a result, it looks and feels very similar to a CT scanner – something patients will already be very familiar with – and the whole treatment experience is smoother, quieter and less intimidating. 

The second major difference is the gamechanging Hypersight technology, which could transform the way radiotherapy is planned and delivered in future, as well as offering lots of research opportunities. 

Hypersight uses a new type of conebeam CT (CBCT) detector to deliver really enhanced imaging that is much better than on a standard linac. In fact, the images are so good they are comparable with a planning CT scanner. 

It means clinical teams can use the images to adjust treatment plans, potentially saving patients from having an additional planning scan. This could reduce the delays that can happen when patients’ treatment plans need to be changed. It will also release CT scanning capacity at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Liverpool.  

The fact The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is one of the first NHS hospitals to have a Halcyon linac with Hypersight means that there is also a lot of potential for research studies, as well as the overall benefits for patient experience.

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is one of the UK’s leading and largest radiotherapy providers, delivering almost 90,000 treatment fractions a year – more than almost any other hospital nationally. 

The new Halcyon will become an integral part of its extensive fleet of advanced linacs across the three Clatterbridge Cancer Centres in Aintree, Liverpool and Wirral and will replace an older machine that is now being retired.

Hospital staff beside the new liac which is white and has a large O-shaped ring above a treatment bed
Members of the team preparing the new linac for patients: (l-r) Louise Bagley (General Manager, Physics), Dave Morris (Principal Clinical Scientist), Rachael O'Sullivan (Radiotherapy Treatment Expert Practitioner), Martyn Gilmore (Lead Consultant Clinical Scientist, Radiotherapy)

Although the Halcyon has many advanced features, it isn’t quite as flexible as the Varian Truebeams that comprise most of our linac fleet so won’t be suitable for all patients, especially initially. Despite this, it is a hugely exciting development for patient care and research.

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s expert medical physics and radiotherapy teams will spend the next couple of months installing, commissioning and carrying out vital technical preparations before the new Halcyon begins treating patients this spring.

Radiotherapy Treatment Expert Practitioner Rachael O’Sullivan said:

We are always looking at how we can further enhance the care we provide to people having radiotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, so patients benefit from the very latest advances in technology. This new linac looks very similar to a CT scanner and is quicker, quieter and smoother, which may help some patients.

Martyn Gilmore, Lead Consultant Clinical Scientist for Radiotherapy, said:

The arrival of this Halcyon linac with Hypersight is incredibly exciting. The advances that the Hypersight system brings will allow us to better visualise treatments and further improve patient care.

The Physics and Radiotherapy will spend the next couple of months preparing and testing the new linac before it goes into use treating patients this spring. 

Watch a short video of the linac arriving

Fun fact

Scanning time on the Halcyon with Hypersight is just 6 seconds, compared with 2 minutes on most linacs. 

Image gallery of the new linac arriving