Palliative patients now receiving treatment on Ethos machines

25 March 2026

Two palliative patients have now successfully received radiotherapy on the Ethos Treatment Machine. 

Within VCS, we currently have three Ethos machines in operation: one at VCC and two at the V@NHRU. Expanding the treating cohort to include palliative patients represents a significant milestone for the service and brings clear benefits in both machine capacity and the quality of patient treatment.

The first two patients treated were both spine cases. However, the service is also available to palliative lung patients, provided they meet the inclusion criteria, with work already underway to expand this to other sites. This development not only supports the transition to nVCC but has also enabled the expansion of palliative radiotherapy provision at V@NHRU, which already delivers physics planned palliative treatments.

An additional benefit of treating these patients on the Ethos machines with advanced beam delivery techniques is, the use of CBCT for treatment imaging. This technology enables a three-dimensional comparison between the patient’s treatment position and the planned position, allowing any necessary adjustments to be made prior to treatment delivery. CBCT imaging is already well established across VCS and enabling Ethos-planned palliative patients to benefit from this, represents a meaningful step forward in enhancing the quality and precision of their care.

This achievement has only been possible through the close collaboration and dedication of our radiographers, medical physics, and clinician colleagues. Their collective efforts have been instrumental in making this important service development a success.

Dr Rhys Carrington, Project Lead, said:

"This is a step change in how we offer radiotherapy to this patient cohort, which wouldn't have been possible without the expertise of the Radiotherapy Physics department in combination with Radiotherapy and Clinical colleagues. A challenging project for several reasons, the multi-disciplinary approach to resolving the issues encountered mean we are now in a position to be able to offer this service clinically, which is very exciting and a testament to the hard work of the whole team. As one of the very few UK centres with this capability in clinical operation, I look forwards to continuing to develop the service and building on our expertise and knowledge."

Dr Samantha Warren, Head of Radiotherapy Physics, said:

"This is a result of several years of work in commissioning and installing state-of-the-art technology and in developing new treatment methods as part of the IRS program. Very well done to the physics team and their radiographer and medical colleagues. It's especially rewarding to see this being rolled out first at the satellite centre in Abergavenny, demonstrating the commitment of all our staff to equality of care for patients across the region."

Kelly Lloyd, Superintendent Radiographer, said:

"This is an exciting development for patients receiving palliative radiotherapy to the spine and lung sites. It increases the cohort of patients we are able to treat on the Ethos machines and is available for patients treated at both VCC and V@NHRU. This has been a collaborative achievement with clinician, radiotherapy physics, and radiographer involvement. The pathway also presents a unique opportunity for our therapeutic radiographers to upskill into the realm of radiotherapy planning under the guidance of Radiotherapy Physics, with the aim for it to become a radiographer-led service in the future."