Prostate cancer patients can use new scanner at Tiverton Hospital (From This is The West Country)

Prostate cancer patients can use new scanner at Tiverton Hospital

8:00am Monday 22nd October 2012 in Devon

PATIENTS in the Tiverton area with prostate cancer will no longer have to travel to Exeter thanks to a mammoth fundraising effort.

Tiverton and District Hospital has taken delivery of a £35,000 scanner, paid for with funds raised by the Chestnut Appeal and local Lions clubs.

People can be tested for the disease locally instead of having the stress of travelling to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

The equipment can take a biopsy to help provide quicker and potentially life-saving diagnoses.

The ultrasound scanner, which provides better quality images of the prostate gland on a screen, is being used in weekly clinics.

Although the technology has been around 15 years, current machines are a lot smaller and easier to move around, allowing it to possibly be used in other community hospitals.

The Chestnut Appeal was set up 12 years ago with the aim of raising awareness of prostate cancer and of raising money to help fund treatments and equipment.

The first two patients underwent diagnosis on the machines in the Tiverton hospital nine days ago.