Leeds Cancer Centre reduces scan time with Ingenia upgrade

Leeds Cancer Centre at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has taken a step forward in radiotherapy planning with the upgrade of a Philips Ingenia Evolution 1.5T MRI to include SmartSpeed technology.

In July, it became one of the first radiotherapy centres in the world, alongside others in Japan and the Netherlands, to use SmartSpeed clinically.

Deputy head of radiotherapy imaging and R&I Dr Richard Speight explained: “We are very proud that Leeds Teaching Hospitals is pioneering this technology, in partnership with Philips and with funding from West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance and Leeds Hospitals Charity. Our first case – a prostate scan – saw a 45 per cent reduction in scan time while delivering significantly improved image resolution.

“This advancement supports more confident target delineation by oncologists and enhances patient comfort and experience by reducing time in the scanner and hospital. The reduction in scan time also makes our service more efficient, meaning we can increase our patient throughput and bring the benefits of MRI for radiotherapy treatment planning to an increased number of patients.”

Dr Speight added: “Philips has delivered a platform that is intuitive, efficient and easy to integrate. SmartSpeed was implemented with minimal instruction, and the new user interface required very little training.”

At Leeds Cancer Centre, the Ingenia R12 is dedicated to radiotherapy planning and supports a wide range of indications, including gynaecological brachytherapy, gamma knife brain cases, and external beam radiotherapy for brain, head and neck, liver, rectum and prostate. The department scans around seven patients daily, with at least two following an MRI-only pathway.

Picture: radiotherapy MRI advanced practitioner Helen Shepherd, deputy head of radiotherapy Sarah Whittle, deputy head of radiotherapy imaging and R&I Dr Richard Speight, radiotherapy physicist Christopher O’Hara, radiotherapy equipment manager Chris Forrest and advanced practitioner radiographer MRI Neil Sorby.

Read this report on the front page of the September 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.