DARENT Valley Hospital has raised £70,000 to buy a key cancer-fighting tool.
The funds for the One Step Nucleic acid Amplification (OSNA) test have been raised through donations, fundraising events and money given in memory – or to celebrate a birthday – to the hospital’s Cancer Fighting Fund.
OSNA can detect if cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit.
If the test shows the cancer has spread, the lymph nodes can be removed immediately while the patient is still under anaesthetic. If the result is negative, the patient can be told as soon as they wake up that the cancer has been removed.
This means patients only have to have one episode of surgery before getting on with their lives or having any further necessary treatment.
The new system would save cancer sufferers from having to wait for pathology tests and possibly undergo further operations.
Darent Valley advanced bio-medical scientist of microbiology Shirley Wicks said: "This is an extremely effective and sensitive piece of equipment compared with previous methods used and we are delighted that we can now offer this service to our breast cancer patients".
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