CLATTERBRIDGE Cancer Centre is one of 16 hospitals across the country chosen to deliver specialist forms of radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with brain tumours.

Nationally, 6,200 patients a year are expected to benefit from stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy these services by 2018/19, compared to just over 2,400 in 2014/15, following a review by NHS England.

In Merseyside and Cheshire, the number is expected to increase from 94 in 2015/16 to 306 by 2018/19.

The service will continue to be provided in partnership with The Walton Centre.

Patients will be treated at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Aintree, the Trust’s specialist radiotherapy unit in Fazakerley next to The Walton Centre.

The trust's medical director Dr Peter Kirkbride said: "This is truly fantastic news for patients in Merseyside and Cheshire.

"Stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy are exceptionally precise and deliver a high dose of radiation to a small, focused area.

"This makes it ideal for treating tumours in particularly complex or vulnerable parts of the body such as the brain, because it substantially reduces the risk of damage to surrounding tissue.

"This investment in the expansion of SRS/SRT will enable even more patients to benefit from this advanced and effective cancer treatment, significantly improving their quality of life and prognosis."