Hitachi announced that Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ began treating patients with its advanced PROBEAT-V proton therapy system on March 14.
The PROBEAT-V is a state-of-the-art proton beam therapy system used to deliver Hitachi’s Discrete Spot Scanning capability to each treatment room. The 190 degree half gantries provide efficient yet spacious treatment room environments.
Hitachi’s smallest treatment spot size to date enables the system to achieve highly precise treatments.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota is also equipped with an identical proton therapy system and has been treating patients since June, 2015.
Mayo Clinic treats more than 1.3 million patients annually from all 50 states and 143 countries. Mayo Clinic has maintained its position as one of the top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report rankings for more than 20 years.
Hitachi has now supplied proton therapy systems for four centers in the United States, with a fifth system currently under construction.
Given the growing demand for technical and clinical advancements in the treatment of cancer, interest in proton therapy is on the rise, with more and more hospitals and cancer treatment facilities venturing into this area.
Hitachi will continue to globally expand the healthcare business where proton therapy is its flagship solution, and contribute to cancer treatment around the world.
Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is an advanced form of external beam radiotherapy. Protons from hydrogen atoms are extracted and accelerated up to 70% the speed of light. Its energy is concentrated directly on the tumor while avoiding radiation dose to the surrounding healthy tissues.
PBT improves the quality of life for cancer patients since the patient experiences no pain during treatment and the procedure has very few side effects compared with that of traditional radiotherapy.
In most cases, patients can continue with their normal daily activities while undergoing treatment. Because there are fewer side effects, PBT is expected to expand, especially for pediatric treatment.