By Jane Elliott

Health reporter, BBC News

The 3D machine allows students to practise In a lecture theatre at Kingston University the students don their 3D goggles. "It's a bit like going to the Imax cinema," quips one student. But the sophisticated equipment, costing £300,000, has a much more serious purpose - to train radiotherapy students to treat cancer. It is a 3D simulation of radiotherapy treatment in which students are able to use a remote control to "give" the right dose in the right place on the image of a cancer patient's body, which beamed onto a large screen. Seeing inside the body The intricate machinery produces three-dimensional images of both the patient and the machine. It allows us to see into the patient so we can see where the beams are being directed and what each beam is doing

Sophie Main Geraldine Francis, head of Kingston's school of radiography, said the equipment would allow students to make mistakes without endangering patients. "They need to make mistakes because they will learn more effectively: they wouldn't be allowed to make a mistake in a department, " she said. "They can do what they need to in a safe environment. "They can make mistakes, crash the machine, take as long as they need to practise, because you cannot practise on a patient. Gaining experience Mrs Francis said using the technique should mean students can work with real patients much sooner. "The overall period of training will not change, but they will be able to help in clinics and relieve pressures sooner. "Before, putting across concepts has been difficult because it is difficult to visualise what we do. "Now they can see where doses are being given within the body, and can see structures like the kidney and the spinal cord, which are meant to be avoided. "They can also see how we can adapt the procedures to make sure patients get the right amount of radiation in a safe and accurate way." Students can see which parts of the body to target The equipment has been paid for by the Department of Health as part of a £5m programme across England to improve radiotherapy training. By 2016, the number of radiotherapy treatments required by patients will almost double. The system is getting a good response from the students who have had a chance to use it. Getting skilled Sophie Main, a third-year student said: "I think it is fabulous and I definitely think it will benefit first year students .I do feel the benefits. "It allows us to see into the patient so we can see where the beams are being directed and what each beam is doing. Users have to wear 3D goggles "It also allows us to have a go and practise, meaning that we don't have to take up too much of the radiologists' time or leave the patient feeling uncomfortable on the bed while we set up." Third year student Anne Lewis agreed. "When you are in the first year, before you go into the units, it is difficult to visualise. But with this you can see inside the patient. "It's like being at the Imax. It is really clever," she said. Superintendent radiographer at the Royal Marsden Hospital Sarah Armstrong said the training would help increase confidence. "In the past, it could be quite daunting for undergraduates furthering their training at the Royal Marsden to find themselves handling a £2 million piece of equipment for the first time, but now they will have some knowledge of the apparatus before they arrive," she said.



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