A GROUNDBREAKING cancer treatment is launching at Great Western Hospital this month after fundraising to introduce it topped £100,000.

GWH will be the first NHS hospital in the south west to provide the intra-operative radiotherapy to those with breast cancer, with treatments starting on Friday, March 13.

The service comes following a public campaign in support of charity Brighter Futures, the charitable arm of the hospital, which raised around £110,000.

Unlike traditional methods of radiotherapy, the new treatment works by giving patients a single dose of radiotherapy while they are still in the operating theatre.

This means that following surgery patients will not have to travel for weeks to either Bath or Oxford for treatment.

Nathan Coombs, a consultant breast surgeon, said: “This is a fantastic moment in the history of GWH and I am incredibly proud to have been part of the team involved in brining intra-operative radiotherapy to Swindon.

“I know from experience that following surgery women face an uncomfortable wait of several weeks before they can begin radiotherapy.

“During this time, it is only natural that patients worry about tumour development.

“It feels amazing to be able to say that we now have the ability to significantly reduce that anxiety.

“Any treatment that can make the cancer journey a little bit easier is a wonderful thing.”

Other advantages include patients experiencing less pain and sensitivity, a reduced risk of infection and quicker recovery times.

Jennifer Green, Brighter Futures’ head of fundraising, thanked everybody who helped raise the money to fund the new treatment.

She said: “It costs £150,000 to offer this treatment for one year. We originally set out to raise £75,000, with the other £75,000 being provided upfront by Brighter Futures.

“The people of Swindon and Wiltshire smashed the target and, at the last count, we had raised around £110,000.

“This is fantastic as it means that more of the cost is covered by the community contribution and that Brighter Futures can invest more funds into other worthy projects.”

Brighter Futures supports the staff, patients and families at GWH as well as looking to improve community health services across Wiltshire. For more information visit www.gwh.nhs.uk/support-us.