FAQs

Location information can be found on each of the individual centre pages, with directions for travel by car, train or bus.

Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales
Rutherford Cancer Centre North East
Rutherford Cancer Centre Thames Valley

Free car parking is available on site. Patient accessibility spaces are available in our car park for blue badge holders.

When you first come to one of the centres, please bring your patient consent form, which your consultant will have completed with you. If you have health insurance, please make sure you also bring your insurance details. Some insurers will provide you with a letter confirming your insurance approval of referral for treatment.

The type of treatment you are having at Rutherford will determine the length of time you spend in the centre. Please feel free to bring some personal entertainment with you, such as a book, tablet or mp3 player. Free Wi-Fi is available at each Rutherford centre.

We recommend that you wear something comfortable and loose fitting. Gowns will be provided for you at each visit.

Please bring any medicines you may be taking along with a list of any repeat prescriptions from your GP. This includes vitamin supplements, herbal remedies or homoeopathic preparations. It is important to let your consultant/radiographer or a member of your treatment team at the centre know if you're planning to take any new medicines. The medicines that you're taking or planning to take could interfere with your treatment, which is why we need to check if they are still suitable for you.

You are welcome to bring along a friend, family member or carer with you. If you would like to bring children along (whom are not receiving treatment), please make sure another adult is also present, as children will not be able to be left unsupervised in our waiting areas.

You will meet several different members of staff when you visit. Our staff wear name badges, so you know who they are. If you're unsure of who you need to speak to, please speak to one of our reception team who will be happy to help you.

Complimentary refreshments including tea and coffee, soft drinks and snacks are available at each of the centres.

The centre is wheelchair accessible and we also have wheelchairs available for you to use. If you require a staff member to help you get into the centre, please ask at reception where we will be able to support you.

Please contact The Rutherford Cancer Centre on 0800 210 0402 and we will try to arrange a more suitable day or time.

Your supportive care team will be able to provide information regarding what side effects should be expected and how to deal with them.

Your treatment records can be requested over the telephone, please call the centre you visited for treatment and our staff team will be able to help.

Radiotherapy and proton beam therapy are both delivered in private treatment rooms. You have the option to receive your immunotherapy or chemotherapy treatment in our main treatment room, or in one of the private side rooms connected to our main treatment suites.

We continually review our services to ensure we are meeting the needs and exceeding expectations of all our patients. If you'd like to provide feedback, please request a satisfaction survey and return this to your nearest centre.

Areas of the body we currently treat using proton beam therapy at the Rutherford Cancer Centres include:

*The suitability of treating certain body areas with proton beam therapy is dependent on the location and staging of the cancer.

Before treatment begins, an oncologist will discuss and explain the full aim of the proton beam therapy treatment plan and if further services will be required alongside it. Proton beam therapy can be used as a sole method for treating certain cancers or used in combination with other cancer services, such as chemotherapy, or to ensure that any remaining cancerous cells are destroyed following tumour removal surgery.

The total cost of treatment is unique to the patient's individual needs, including the area affected and the length of treatment. There is no one-size-suits-all pricing bracket; instead, a personalised cancer treatment plan will be built for every patient that comes to Rutherford Cancer Centres.

There can be many benefits of proton beam therapy, and these will vary from person to person. The benefits of proton beam therapy over conventional radiotherapy are:

• Fewer side effects
• More accurate targeting of the area to be treated
• Treating hard to reach tumours that may be close to vital organs and tissue
• Lower radiation exposure to healthy tissue beyond the treatment area
• Greater planning flexibility with the potential for reducing the number of treatment sessions
• Can be combined with other treatments and therapies

Proton therapy (also called Proton beam therapy) can be delivered as a main treatment method or alongside other treatments including surgery. Specific treatments used will depend on a patient’s individual circumstances and the type, stage and location of cancer that needs treating.

At this time, only adults in Wales can be referred by the NHS for high energy proton beam therapy at Rutherford Cancer Centres.

We currently offer proton beam therapy at our South Wales centre in Newport, our North East centre in Northumberland and our Thames Valley centre in Reading.

International patients can also travel to the UK to be treated at the Rutherford, where we offer a full concierge service to make it as seamless as possible for any patients travelling to us. More information on this can be found on our international patients page.

Patients meeting the optimal criteria for treatment via proton therapy respond well to treatment. However, it is not possible to give a measured success rate as success can be defined in many ways depending on individual circumstances.

For comprehensive information regarding proton beam therapy, please see our proton beam therapy treatment page.

Patients selected for proton beam therapy meet strict criteria for treatment to ensure that proton therapy is the best course of treatment available for their condition.