A MAMMOTH fundraising effort is finally paying off with a new state-of-the-art screening machine helping to save lives at Southend Hospital.

The new £250,000 digital mammography machine, funded by the hospital’s Bosom Pals appeal, is already in use detecting breast cancer in women of all ages.

The machine is the first fruit of the appeal, which was launched in May 2009 by the hospital’s charitable foundation and has almost reached its target of £750,000.

Foundation chairman Colin George said: “The advantage of this machine is that it brings the department to the very forefront of mammogram technology and will ensure breast cancer sufferers receive the best possible prognosis and treatment.

“This is a big milestone for the appeal because it is already open and is helping people already.”

Neil Rothnie, a breast surgeon and director of breast screening at the hospital, is full of praise for the new machines, which produce digital X-ray images.

This allows the team to conduct detailed screening of even very dense breast tissue, in which abnormalities are harder to spot. He said: “The major benefit is the quality of the images and how they can be manipulated.

“Women with particularly dense breast tissue can have the images manipulated and this gives much better diagnostic results.”

This factor is a great benefit for the hospital’s work in screening younger women who have a family history of breast cancer. With more than 2,700 women screened by the unit each year, of whom more than 450 women are diagnosed with cancer, there is no doubt the new machines will prove life-savers along the line.

Mr Rothnie said: “It’s obviously a great service that enables us to give an early diagnosis so women can get early treatment for their cancer, which improves the outcome.”

With almost £650,000 already raised and a second mammography machine about to open next month, the appeal could be complete as early as August, although the foundation is keen to stress it still needs support to enable the final pieces of equipment to be purchased.

Mr George added: “We want to thank the whole town for their massive fundraising efforts over the past two years.”

Although a new cause has yet to be selected by the foundation, since it was launched in 1998 it has raised more than £3million for a range of departments including the hospital’s leukaemia unit, the Lighthouse Child Development Centre for disabled children, and equipment for treating heart conditions and strokes.