High-Tech Cancer Treatment Facility Announced for Manchester

A new cancer treatment facility project aiming to make the latest technologies available to patients in the UK recently took a significant step forward.

Christie Proton Beam Therapy CenterBy Alex Girda, Associate Editor

Manchester, United Kingdom—A new cancer treatment facility project aiming to make the latest technologies available to patients in the UK recently took a significant step forward. The Christie NHS Foundation Trust revealed that Mace was appointed as the project manager for the Trust’s Proton Beam Therapy Project in the city of Manchester. The trust expects that the new facility be delivered by 2018, with roughly 125 million GBP, or around $192 million, being committed to the project.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust treats around 44,000 patients each year, a number that will increase once the new Proton Beam Therapy facility is completed. The new facility will feature three new treatment gantries accommodating patients, as well as a bunker that will be used for research purposes. Outpatient accommodation and imagining facilities will also be included in the new facility.

Mace had been in contact for the new facility ever since it completed the Teenage and Young Adult and Haematology Transplant Unit, roughly one year ago. However, the company was awarded the contract to deliver the facility as a result of a competitive process. The facility is designed by HKS Architects and will offer a total of around 15,000 square feet of space.

PBT is a revolutionary type of cancer treatment that offers doctors the ability to more precisely target tumors with radiation, in order to protect unaffected tissue. The technology uses protons instead of regular X-rays which increase the effectiveness of the treatment, while reducing many of the harmful side effects.