The Urology team at Heatherwood with first Synergo patient Mandy Newnham
Trust leads way with bladder cancer therapy
Urologists at Heatherwood Hospital have introduced a new outpatient therapy for bladder cancer, further evolving Frimley Health’s care and enabling appropriate patients to be treated closer to their home.
Synergo is a treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancers that have not responded to BCG immunotherapy.
It uses radiofrequency radiation to heat the bladder wall and improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs which are circulated via a catheter.
The therapy can be used post-surgery to prevent the recurrence of tumours. It can also shrink larger or multiple tumours so they can be more easily removed.
Sessions of Synergo therapy last about one hour, with treatment taking place once a week for six weeks. This is usually followed by a second six-week course of follow-up treatment.
Dental clinic receptionist Mandy Newnham, 51, from Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, is the first patient to have the therapy at Heatherwood and has already completed several sessions of treatment.
Synergo has been brought to Frimley Health by consultant urologist Mr Ahmed Ali. Previously, patients would have had to travel into London for the treatment.
The Trust is one of six UK centres piloting the therapy as it goes through the NICE approval process and it expects to offer the treatment to 15 patients per year.
Mr Ali said: “We are delighted to be able to provide Synergo therapy at Frimley Health.
“We are determined to continue to evolve our Urology services, keeping the Trust at the forefront of new technologies and treatments so that we can provide the best possible care and outcomes for our patients.”
The introduction of Synergo is the second significant development in bladder cancer care at Frimley Health in recent months.
In October 2020 the Urology team at Heatherwood began performing transurethral laser ablation (TULA) which enables consultants to remove appropriate bladder tumours in a simple 40-minute outpatient procedure – with no need for general anaesthetic or an overnight stay in hospital.
First published in Frimley Park Hospital Staff Newsletter, Inform No 135, March 2021
New laser transforms bladder tumour treatment at Frimley Park
https://www.fhft.nhs.uk/news/new-laser-transforms-bladder-tumour-treatment/
Frimley Health patients with bladder tumours can now have them removed in a quick and simple outpatient procedure – with no need for general anaesthetic or an overnight stay in hospital.
The state-of-the-art laser treatment enables patients to be in and out of hospital in around 40 minutes.
Previously, the removal of bladder tumours would have involved an hour and a half of theatre time plus pre-operative assessments, general anaesthesia and at least one night in hospital.
Under the new procedure, called transurethral laser ablation (TULA), the laser fibre is passed via a flexible small cystoscope into the bladder to blast tumours away.
As this is an outpatient procedure, it means patients do not need to be tested for Covid-19 and self-isolate for two weeks — both mandatory measures before elective surgery — or even stop taking medication for other conditions, including anticoagulants.
Consultant urologist Mr Samer Jallad said: “We are delighted that we can now deliver this effective treatment for our patients with bladder tumours.
“It is very practical because it can be done in an outpatient setting, it’s safer because it doesn’t require general anaesthetic, and it’s time-saving for patients and the Trust.”
The procedure takes place in the urology unit at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot.
The Leonardo® Mini laser was purchased following Frimley Health’s CEO Change Challenge – a Dragons’ Den-style competition designed to bring to life great ideas from the front line that would improve patient care.