Stella Woodward - Co-lead Planning Radiographer

Stella Woodward has worked at St Luke’s for more than 30 years. She is Co-lead Planning Radiographer specialising in dosimetry, planning complex external beam radiotherapy for cancer patients.

“I have worked at St Luke’s cancer centre for over 30 years, having started in 1977 at the Warren Road site. As a smaller team, we would often arrange tennis tournaments with colleagues on site making it feel like a small village atmosphere.

“Back then, we would use a slide rule for simple calculations, and measurements for patients’ outlines, which were needed for radiotherapy planning, these were taken manually, using flexible wire and callipers and then traced into the planning system. Nowadays, we use CT scans in conjunction with other imaging, such as MRI and PET images, which we can fuse with the CT scan to enhance the planning process. Our planning system is now three-dimensional and perpetually advancing with the advent of new technology, including artificial intelligence.

“My role now involves working with a wide-ranging team of different specialists to plan radiotherapy treatments. We try to minimise dose to healthy tissue and target high dose to tumours – this limits side effects and gets the best possible outcome for our patients.

“The best thing about my job is knowing I am making a difference to the outcome for cancer patients. St Luke’s is a very special place to work, whilst feeling like a close-knit community it is still at the forefront of advances in treatment for cancer patients.”

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