A NEW Digital Mammography Unit that will help detect breast cancers in women is now in use at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

The equipment, worth over £295,000, was funded collaboratively by the Foundation Trust, the Jigsaw Appeal and by the dedicated friends and family of the late cancer patient Mrs Hilary Williams, who helped raise £9,000 to contribute to the new unit.

The Foundation Trust was one of the first in the UK to move to digital images using a PACS (picture communication and archive system), instead of the old x-ray films traditionally used. This unit is the last piece of equipment for the Trust in going completely digital and is a significant step in helping to detect cancer earlier and increasing survival rates.

The Mammography Unit is able to emphasise subtle differences in the breast tissue to help identify any concerns and will be particularly instrumental in picking up small tumours in the breast of women. The immediacy of the digital x-ray will inevitably cut down on waiting time for results, also reducing the radiation needed to complete the tests.

Part of the funds contributed for the unit were raised by the late cancer patient Mrs Hilary Williams, her friends and family in the form of a fashion show at the Royal Bath Hotel in 2006. The event was hosted by Sir Patrick Stewart, whose involvement generated the interest and support of over 325 people. £9,000 was donated to the hospital to improve screening for young women with breast cancer.

Fund raiser and close friend of the late Mrs Hilary Williams, Mrs Patricia Stawiarski commented: “We were hugely impressed by the new digital equipment for breast imaging.”

“Putting the money we raised to additional software for the PACS system is very satisfying to all concerned in the fashion show in 2006.”

She added: “We hope that the service will be widely available to all women but particularly to younger women who, once diagnosed with breast cancer, are often faced with very aggressive tumours and the threat to their lives is very real. “ Paul Shelton, General Manager of Pathology commented: “We are extremely grateful to all those who donated for their generosity in supporting this development. We now have the very latest technology to help detect breast cancer and are able to store and distribute these images anywhere across the hospital. We are also linked to the breast screening unit at Poole Hospital to compare images from the breast screening service.

“I would like to stress that all women should take up the offer of breast screening. The earlier cancer is detected the better the chances of successful treatment.”

The Jigsaw Appeal was also hugely instrumental in donating for the department to go digital, contributing £125,000 towards this advanced resource.

Ian Catley, Fundraising Manager of the Jigsaw Appeal commented: "This is really 'joined-up' progress at the hospital. It is surprisingly relevant that we have just launched the £1.5 million Jigsaw Appeal for Women to transform the Women's Health Unit where breast screening is one of the key issues. Once again our fundraisers have made the difference and helped save lives.”