Shropshire lad Richard leads the way in cancer fight
From 2018, cancer patients in the UK will have another form of treatment available to them, by the name of proton beam therapy. And a former Shropshire resident has played a major role in bringing it to these shores.
Richard Amos, originally from Newport, is the lead proton beam therapy physicist for University College London Hospitals (UCLH). Since his formative years at Burton Borough School, followed by two years at New College in Wellington, Richard has displayed a passion for science.
A passion that would see him go on to Coventry University to study applied physics before attending the University of Birmingham, where he gained an MSc in applied radiation physics.
There followed a further two years of clinical scientist training in medical physics at Royal Free Hospital, London. And four years later, Richard emigrated to Canada two years before his work in proton beam therapy commenced in the US at Loma Linda University Medical Center California, in 2002.
Three short years later he made his way to University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The facility is based in Houston, where he now lives with wife Wendy – herself a leading light in cancer treatment – and children Siona, Lara and Alex.
"I returned to the UK in late 2013 to be the lead proton beam therapy physicist for UCLH," said Richard.
"I am currently working 5,000 miles away from my wife, children and home in Houston because I believe in the profound benefit that proton beam therapy will have for select NHS patients.
"I travel back and forth as much as possible."
The NHS has had an overseas proton beam therapy programme since 2008. This has allowed children, and some adults, to fly to the United States or Switzerland for treatment.
As defined by www.nhs.uk proton beam therapy is a form of radiotherapy.
Conventional radiotherapy uses high energy beams of radiation to destroy cancerous cells, but surrounding tissue can also be damaged. This can lead to side effects such as nausea, and can sometimes disrupt the function of some organs.
Proton beam therapy uses beams of protons (sub-atomic particles) to achieve the same cell-killing effect. A particle accelerator is used to speed up these protons. The accelerated protons are then beamed into cancerous cells, killing them.
Unlike conventional radiotherapy, in proton beam therapy the beam of protons stops once it hits the cancerous cells. This means that proton beam therapy results in much less damage to surrounding tissue.
It has been an expensive programme, and many patients who would have benefited from the treatment are simply too sick to travel.
In 2013, NHS England and the Department of Health announced a £250 million investment to develop a national proton beam therapy programme. This will be a national service on two sites – UCLH NHS Foundation Trust in London, and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
The two trusts have collaborated in this programme.
"I am the lead proton beam therapy physicist at UCLH, but I work very closely with the Christie too," explains Richard, who finds time with all his commitments to read for a Post-Graduate Certificate in Nanotechnology on a part-time basis at the University of Oxford.
"I am the only person in the UK with hands-on experience with proton beam therapy."
So what exactly is it?
"Proton beam therapy is a precise form of radiotherapy that better targets the tumour, hence avoiding more healthy tissue in the body," Richard explains.
"The outcome of this is to reduce any potential side effects. This makes this an important step forward for treating hard-to-reach and complex tumours of the spine and brain, and is particularly important for children because some side effects can manifest decades later."
As disclosed on March 11, the two UK centres will be ready to start treatment in three years time.
The construction of the facility at UCLH in particular is profoundly complex as it needs to be situated underground in central London.
Equipment installation at both sites is expected to take place from August 2017, with patient treatments expected to begin from 2018.
The UCLH Proton Beam Therapy centre is to be below ground and five floors above ground. And this state-of-the-art facility will be able to offer even more than protons. The plan is to utilise the floors above ground to develop what will become Europe's largest haematological inpatient medical facility. It will also feature a short stay surgical unit.
While the UCLH and Christie's facilities are being built, proton beam therapy will continue to be provided by overseas clinics for clinically appropriate NHS patients.
UCLH's preferred building contractor is Bouyges UK and the preferred equipment supplier for both the Christie and UCLH is Varian. Both were selected following a rigorous public procurement process.
NHS England's medical director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, has welcomed the announcement of the equipment and building suppliers which will start work on the UK's first proton beam therapy cancer centres this summer.
He said: "The announcement will help us to move ahead with fully equipping the new facilities in Manchester and London. This is a key milestone in being able to offer this important treatment in the UK."
Varian Medical Systems has been selected to develop the sites.
"I am proud to have such a prominent role in this amazing £250 million NHS development," adds Richard.
For two Newport residents, Mr Amos's achievements are particularly important – Richard's parents. Sheila and Derek Amos live in Avenue Road, close to the school that influenced their son's epic journey.
"We have always appreciated the hard work of Burton Borough School in helping to guide Richard in his scientific career," said Derek.
"As for our son's achievements, our pride is immeasurable."
