PATIENTS from Gwent are set to be among more than 300 a year from Wales who will benefit from a cutting-edge radiotherapy technique now being provided at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff.
The centre has begun using stereotactic radiosurgery, meaning patients who previously had to travel to Sheffield to benefit from it, can now receive treatment much closer to home.
The technique treats tumours with high doses of radiation and causes less damage to surrounding healthy tissue than conventional radiotherapy.
Welsh Government funding of £4.6 million has enabled specialists at Velindre to bring in a new linear accelerator, a machine that delivers radiotherapy treatments.
The Varian TrueBeam machine can deliver stereotactic radiosurgery, which will be used to treat patients with complex needs, such as benign brain tumours.
One of the most advanced of its kind, the machine targets tumours with pinpoint accuracy, helping to reduce side effects and shorten the time needed for treatment.
It can also deliver standard radiotherapy treatments to meet the needs of hundreds of other cancer patients every year.
The machine is being used too, to provide stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) for a selected group of lung cancer patients, delivering high dose radiation over few days to minimise damage to surrounding tissues.
It will also enable Velindre - among the UK's 10 biggest cancer centres - to continue to participate in groundbreaking research projects on cancer treatments. 
Around 120 patients will receive stereotactic radiosurgery treatment at Velindre this year, but this figure will rise to more than 300 a year when the service is fully developed.
"This world-class technology enables us to deliver safer, more effective, and more convenient treatment to patients in Wales," said Dr Jacinta Abraham, clinical director at Velindre Cancer Centre.
Velindre Cancer Centre sees more than 5,000 new cancer referrals and around 50,000 outpatient appointments every year.