19 March 2021

Urologists at Heatherwood Hospital have introduced a new outpatient therapy for bladder cancer, further evolving our care and enabling appropriate patients to be treated closer to their home.

Synergo is a treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancers that have not responded to BCG immunotherapy.

It uses radiofrequency radiation to heat the bladder wall and improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs which are circulated via a catheter.

The therapy can be used post-surgery to prevent the recurrence of tumours. It can also shrink larger or multiple tumours so they can be more easily removed.
Sessions of Synergo therapy last about one hour, with treatment taking place once a week for six weeks. This is usually followed by a second six-week course of follow-up treatment.

Dental clinic receptionist Mandy Newnham, 51, from Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, is the first patient to have the therapy at Heatherwood and has already completed several sessions of treatment.

Synergo has been brought to Frimley Health by consultant urologist Mr Ahmed Ali. Previously, patients would have had to travel into London for the treatment.
Our Trust is one of six UK centres piloting the therapy as it goes through the NICE approval process and we expect to offer the treatment to 15 patients per year.
Mr Ali said: “We are delighted to be able to provide Synergo therapy at Frimley Health.

“We are determined to continue to evolve our Urology services, keeping the Trust at the forefront of new technologies and treatments so that we can provide the best possible care and outcomes for our patients.”

The introduction of Synergo is the second significant development in bladder cancer care at Frimley Health in recent months.

In October 2020 the Urology team at Heatherwood began performing transurethral laser ablation (TULA) which enables consultants to remove appropriate bladder tumours in a simple 40-minute outpatient procedure – with no need for general anaesthetic or an overnight stay in hospital.