Breast cancer centre gets £2m upgrade

The three new scanners are part of a £2m upgrade at the Mermaid Centre

Patients and staff at a centre in Cornwall dedicated to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment have welcomed three new scanners as part of a £2m upgrade.

The new equipment at the Mermaid Centre is "more comfortable, quicker and more accurate", according to Royal Cornwall Hospital's chief nursing officer Kim O'Keefe.

Ms O'Keefe, who was treated herself for breast cancer seven years ago, said the upgrade would help to provide the "best healthcare" to patients.

About 56,000 women and 390 men a year in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer.

Kim O'Keefe described the new scanners as quicker and more accurate

Screening is a way of finding early signs of breast cancers.

Three of the hospitals' mammography scanners, have now been replaced with Mammomat Revelations, which create 2D and 3D digital images of the breast.

There is also now a bigger ultrasound room, improved staff facilities and upgraded reporting and viewing rooms, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said.

Ms O'Keefe added: "It's yet another step to make sure that we are providing healthcare that is the best that we can absolutely provide and the best that everyone deserves."

Ms O'Keefe said seven years ago a scan picked up a lump she had not felt, leading to diagnosis and treatment.

"It's thanks to teams like this I'm standing here today, you're never too busy if you're called to have a screen."

She said the screens were smaller, more compact and comfortable, gave a lower dose of radiation, as well as being "quicker and more accurate" than their predecessors.

Miklos Barta, consultant radiologist, said the upgrade began in 2018 but "Covid put a stop to everything".

He said there were also two vans equipped with the high-tech scanners "roaming the county" to provide screening.

Such reliable testing gave "peace of mind" for patients in terms of both planning treatment and acceptance of diagnosis, he added.

Mermaid Centre patient Hannah Leach said she was 30 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer before undergoing treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Describing the treatment process as a "rollercoaster", she said it had been like "an earthquake followed by a tsunami".

But she said the new scanners were "fantastic news".

"The more available and up-to-date the machines are the more people will get caught early," she added.

"If you think something is wrong go and get it checked out, it's better to know that it's not something serious than carry around that stress."