🔦 Consortium Spotlight: #PATH Industry Partners
PATH proudly showcases today the industrial partners contributing to the project.
🌐 Together, they contribute to the development, validation, implementation, and future uptake of trustworthy AI tools that support healthcare professionals and improve patient outcomes.
👉 More about PATH consortium: https://www.path-ihi.eu/project-overview/consortium/

#PATHProject #IHI #CancerCare #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #AITools #HealthTech

PATH Project happily features Ancora Health, one of the project’s contributing industry partners which brings expertise in digital health and AI-enabled care. Within #PATH, this expertise contributes to the project's ambition of enabling responsible integration of trustworthy AI into cancer care.
👇Read about Ancora Health’s role in #Path, from CEO Sridhar Kumaraswamy

🌐More about #PATH Consortium: https://www.path-ihi.eu/project-overview/consortium/

#InnovativeHealthInitiative
#AIHealthcare #CancerCare #DigitalHealth

Cancer treatment can impact fertility, making early planning an important part of care.

In this video, Dr. Nikita Baclig discusses current fertility preservation options for patients with female reproductive organs as part of the 2026 GRACE Patient Education Ambassador Series.

Watch now: https://youtu.be/e2Tsu581hj0

#CancerEducation #FertilityPreservation #Oncology #CancerCare

CANCER CARE: Double win for Swansea Bay’s NHS innovators — and a third award comes to Hywel Dda

Cancer teams from Swansea Bay have taken a double win at the awards celebrating the people transforming cancer care in Wales.

Swansea Bay University Health Board won two accolades at the third Moondance Cancer Awards — the only awards dedicated solely to cancer services in Wales, organised independently by the Moondance Cancer Initiative to spotlight the individuals, teams and collaborations leading the way across NHS Wales.

The health board took the Better Patient Experience award for its Radiographer-Led Late Radiotherapy Effects Service — which provides tailored support and timely specialist referrals for patients experiencing long-term complications after treatment, creating a more responsive model for cancer survivorship in Wales.

“It feels overwhelming to win, but it’s a great achievement for a brand-new service across Wales,” said Rebecca Lloyd, commenting on the award.

The board also shared the Working Together award — alongside Velindre University NHS Trust, Health Education and Improvement Wales and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board — for the Building a Multi-Professional Radiotherapy Workforce initiative.

The collaboration has strengthened radiotherapy workforce capability across Wales, developing a safe, standardised, multi-professional approach to radiotherapy target delineation — with a national training framework, shared learning resources and consistent assessment designed to reduce variation and support faster progression from diagnosis to treatment planning.

“It feels wonderful to have won this award tonight,” said Lucy Wills, chair of the Multi-Professional Radiotherapy Target Definition Group. “It’s really motivating to be recognised and appreciated for our work; this win will help us move forward with our objectives in the future.”

There was a third win for the region too — with Hywel Dda University Health Board taking the Detection and Diagnosis award for its One-Stop Clinic for Post-Menopausal Bleeding, speeding the route to diagnosis for women across the health board area.

The winners were judged by a panel including Prof Isabel Oliver, Chief Medical Officer for Wales, alongside senior figures from across health, life sciences and innovation.

Wendy Evans, managing director at Moondance Cancer Initiative, said: “The Moondance Cancer Awards celebrate the individuals, teams and collaborations driving change across cancer services in Wales. This year’s winners demonstrate the impact of focus, creativity, joint working and shared ambition in improving outcomes and experiences for patients.

“Moondance Cancer Initiative is privileged to work alongside NHS colleagues and partners to support progress for patients. We look forward to continuing that work, building on the ideas, relationships and momentum reflected in this year’s awards.”

Moondance Cancer Initiative is a philanthropically funded not-for-profit which finds, funds and fuels ideas to improve cancer outcomes in Wales — with an emphasis on earlier diagnosis, reducing variation and equitable access to care.

The full list of winners is at moondance-cancer.wales.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

MORRISTON: The scrub nurse who has served the NHS for 52 years — and was handed her qualification by the future King
More than five decades of NHS service at Morriston Hospital.

PARAMEDIC JOBS: Welsh Government to hold emergency summit after 82 newly qualified paramedics left with no posts
The NHS workforce pressures facing the new government.

More Swansea Bay University Health Board stories
The latest health news from across Swansea Bay.

They were the anchor in your storm. Now, find the perfect way to say 'thank you.' We've curated the most touching notes and gestures for the heroes behind the scenes. 🎗️

#CaregiverAppreciation, #CancerSupport, #Gratitude, #UnsungHeroes, #CancerCare

Read more: https://mooddrafts.com/thanking-your-cancer-caregiver-heartfelt-notes-sincere-gifts/

LLANELLI: Prince Philip Hospital becomes first in Wales to offer pioneering cancer diagnosis technique

Prince Philip Hospital has become the first and currently only centre in Wales to offer CryoEBUS — a procedure that combines ultrasound guidance with a freezing technique to collect lymph node tissue samples that are larger and better preserved than those obtained through conventional methods.

The technique, known in full as Cryobiopsy Endobronchial Ultrasound, uses special biopsy needles alongside a freezing process to collect tissue from lymph nodes and, in some cases, lung masses. The improved sample quality makes diagnosis more accurate and is increasingly important for the molecular testing now used to guide newer treatments in lung cancer.

The procedure was introduced at Prince Philip Hospital in November 2025 and is performed under conscious sedation. It integrates into existing bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound pathways, combining two sampling techniques into one streamlined procedure — reducing the need for repeat procedures and supporting earlier treatment planning for more complex cases.

The first procedures were carried out by Dr Robin Ghosal, Clinical Director at Prince Philip Hospital and Consultant Respiratory Physician, working alongside Dr Jonathan Fisher-Black, Consultant Respiratory Physician, and the hospital’s Endoscopy team. Dr Ghosal has completed specialist CryoEBUS training to bring the service to west Wales.

“It’s a very new technology which is gaining momentum and Prince Philip Hospital is the first in Wales to use it and one of only a handful in the whole of the UK,” said Dr Ghosal.

He said the improved diagnostic capability represented a real step forward for patients. “This allows us to obtain significantly improved tissue samples while remaining minimally invasive. This has important implications for diagnostic confidence, particularly in complex lymph node pathology, and supports more efficient progression to treatment decisions.”

CryoEBUS is particularly valuable for diagnosing complex respiratory conditions including lymphoproliferative and granulomatous diseases, where sample size and preservation are critical for accurate analysis.

The procedure uses endobronchial ultrasound guidance alongside specialised biopsy needles and a freezing technique, allowing doctors to get larger and better-preserved samples in a single visit rather than requiring multiple procedures. For patients, that means shorter diagnostic pathways and more timely access to treatment.

The technology is becoming increasingly significant as molecular testing takes on a greater role in guiding newer cancer treatments. Better tissue samples mean better molecular analysis — and better molecular analysis means more targeted and effective care.

Dr Ghosal said the procedure also enhances clinicians’ ability to diagnose conditions beyond cancer, including complex lymph node diseases where sample quality has historically been a limiting factor in reaching a confident diagnosis.

“The procedure integrates an innovative technique into established bronchoscopic and endobronchial ultrasound workflows, offering an advanced less invasive option that can reduce the need for repeat procedures and support earlier treatment planning for more complex cases,” he said.

Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Medical Director, Mr Mark Henwood, said the health board was always looking at innovative ways to improve patient care. “I’m very proud that Prince Philip Hospital is leading the way in which we diagnose respiratory diseases,” he said.

“This just goes to show that you don’t have to live in a big city to have access to the most pioneering and effective health care. Congratulations to Robin and his team for all the hard work and training they have put in to bring the CryoEBUS testing to west Wales.”

The adoption of CryoEBUS at Prince Philip Hospital reflects the continued evolution of respiratory diagnostics across NHS services and reinforces the hospital’s commitment to innovation for patients in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

The service is now available as part of the hospital’s standard diagnostic pathway, meaning eligible patients in west Wales can now access a technique previously only available at a handful of centres across the entire UK.

More from Hywel Dda University Health Board

Norovirus forces ward closures at Prince Philip Hospital as outbreak spreads across region
When a norovirus outbreak hit the Llanelli hospital and spread across the Hywel Dda area.

Glangwili Hospital faces £82m repair backlog as Wales-wide NHS maintenance bill nears £1bn
The scale of the maintenance challenge facing Hywel Dda’s hospital estate.

£2m upgrade begins at Glangwili Hospital to ease pressure on A&E
Investment in west Wales’s hospital infrastructure to improve patient flow.

Hywel Dda to explore more than 100 new ideas for local health services
The health board’s wider drive to innovate and improve services across west Wales.