23 April 2025
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cork University Hospital (CUH) has introduced two major innovations in cancer care so far this year, which will significantly enhance treatment options and streamline patient care for people across the South West of Ireland.
CUH is now the first public hospital outside of Dublin to offer Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) for prostate cancer patients – an advanced form of radiotherapy that delivers higher doses of radiation in fewer sessions. The hospital has also successfully implemented the National Cancer Information System (NCIS), a centralised digital platform that ensures seamless sharing of cancer treatment information between Ireland’s designated cancer centres.
These dual developments mark a new era for cancer services at CUH, strengthening the hospital’s role as a regional leader in providing high-quality, patient-centred cancer care.
The first patient to undergo prostate SABR at CUH completed the full course of treatment in just five sessions this March, compared to the 20 sessions typically required with conventional radiotherapy. Three more patients are currently being prepared for treatment.
“This is an important step forward in how we deliver prostate cancer care,” said Dr Martin Higgins, Consultant Radiation Oncologist at CUH. “By using SABR, we can offer patients a more efficient and potentially more comfortable treatment experience, while also reducing the time they need to spend in hospital.”
Prostate SABR is currently available to patients with low to intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Its high precision enables higher doses per session without increasing side effects, improving patient outcomes while also easing demand on radiotherapy units. The shorter treatment schedule effectively doubles capacity to deliver radical radiotherapy within the same clinical time.
This move supports CUH’s broader strategy to bring state-of-the-art treatments closer to home for patients and to ensure equitable access to world-class care outside of Dublin.
In tandem with the introduction of SABR, CUH has also implemented the National Cancer Information System (NCIS), a major milestone in digital healthcare. NCIS is a secure, centralised system that allows clinicians across Ireland’s nine designated cancer centres to access a patient’s full cancer treatment records, regardless of where the treatment was originally provided.
“This marks a transformative step in how we manage and share patient information,” said Dr Dearbhaile Collins, Clinical Director at CUH. “Until now, cancer records were siloed within each hospital. NCIS ensures safer, more efficient care by providing real-time access to critical information.”
The system is already delivering positive results. NCIS has streamlined coordination of Multidisciplinary Meetings (MDMs), reducing paperwork and enabling treatment decisions to be documented and signed off in real time during meetings.
“The introduction of the National Cancer Information System is an innovative new addition to the hospital to help streamline cancer services,” said Fionnuala Frain, Project Manager at CUH. “It’s helping teams make faster, better-informed decisions that directly benefit patients.”
The rollout of NCIS at CUH is ongoing, with further phases to include the full transition of MDMs, electronic prescribing, and the administration of systemic anti-cancer therapies.
With these advancements now in place, CUH continues to deliver on its commitment to improving cancer outcomes and enhancing access to leading-edge care for patients across the region.