Amethyst were pleased to participate in the NHS Confed Expo 2025. Here’s a look at two of the agenda topics, the rise of AI and digital technology, and PPPs.
Amethyst Radiotherapy were pleased to participate in the NHS ConfedExpo 2025 in Manchester on 11 and 12 June. The event is the biggest UK health and care conference, attracting over 5,000 professionals and partners from across the sector to share insights and discuss new innovations.
Two of the main topics on the agenda were “Digital, AI, data and technology” and “Collaboration and partnerships.” As leading providers of cancer care and public-private partnerships, Amethyst are committed to investing in cutting-edge technologies that improve outcomes, widen access and enable more personalised treatment plans.
Here’s a look at the new possibilities AI and digital technology and PPPs are opening up for Amethyst’s Gamma Knife centres in London and Sheffield.
Contrary to what the name suggests, Gamma Knife surgery does not involve making any incisions with a blade, as required for traditional open surgery. It’s a form of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) that uses focused beams of radiation to target and destroy tumour cells without damaging the surrounding healthy area of brain tissue.
The treatment is already considered to be one of the safest and most effective types of SRS, particularly for patients with small to medium sized brain tumours, arteriovenous malformations, and some forms of trigeminal neuralgia.
Gamma Knife is often used in cases of meningioma and acoustic neuroma, sometimes in conjunction with regular neurosurgery, or as an alternative if the patient is not a suitable candidate for open surgery. It is highly accurate, which minimises the risks of side effects and complications.
Now, the next era of Gamma Knife technology is evolving. It is highly compatible with AI and data driven innovations, and this is shaping the future of SRS treatments to be more precise, personalised and beneficial than ever before. This can make the treatment process even more streamlined and effective.
The signs of a brain tumour on MRI scans can sometimes be misinterpreted by human radiologists. Research has shown that machine learning is able to distinguish between hundreds of different types of lesions and accurately detect very tiny or complex changes around tumour boundaries.
It is also faster than human analysis, and can even be used to predict the rate of tumour growth. This leads to earlier detection and better information for clinicians to plan the most appropriate treatments, which improves the likelihood of successful patient outcomes.
Gamma knife treatment requires an exact map of the brain structure and tumour boundaries. AI tools can be used to provide auto-contouring, which gives an extremely accurate and detailed annotation of the tumour boundaries. When done manually, this process is very time-consuming and subject to human error or variations in interpretation.
AI contouring methods are much quicker and potentially more accurate at mapping brain tumours, leading to more effective treatments with fewer side effects.
Research is currently ongoing into the use of AI for optimising the biological effective dose of radiation and exposure times. Furthermore, AI can be integrated into image-guided therapy platforms to allow neurosurgeons to monitor the radiation delivery and tumour response in real-time, and make adjustments if necessary.
This will minimise the risk of side effects caused by damage to the surrounding brain tissue.
AI tools are trained through exposure to vast amounts of patient data, and this helps clinicians to better predict how a patient might respond to a specific treatment. This means that patients benefit from more personalised and effective treatment plans.
Demand for brain tumour treatments is set to increase in the future as the population ages and lives longer than previous generations. Age is one of the risk factors for brain cancer, so the healthcare sector can expect to see a corresponding rise in diagnosis.
There is also a growing awareness among the public and GPs of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours, leading to more referrals to specialist healthcare teams.
As the NHS is under continuing pressure with tight budgets, growing demand and staff shortages, public-private partnerships (PPPs) are set to play a key role in shaping the future of healthcare in the UK. Amethyst is positioning itself as a leading provider of PPPs throughout Europe.
As an internationally successful private cancer care provider, we already work closely with the NHS at our two radiotherapy centres of excellence in London and Sheffield. In the future, we intend to position Amethyst as the go-to choice for PPPs, expanding patient access to the innovative treatments and experienced and knowledgeable clinicians.
Centres of Excellence for Stereotactic Radiosurgery treatment of complex Brain Tumours
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