ViewRay announced that the National Cancer Center (NCC) in Tokyo, Japan has purchased a MRIdian System, the world's first and only clinical MRI-guided radiation therapy system.
The MRIdian System is a unique medical instrument that integrates full-time MR imaging, cobalt radiation delivery, and intelligent software automation. Using the MRIdian System, clinicians can see soft tissue, and visualize and adjust the dose — all in real-time, on live anatomy.
With MRIdian this is done without exposing the patient to the additional ionizing radiation that is common with other imaging modalities.
In mid-August, ViewRay announced that the company had received Shonin approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to market the MRIdian System within Japan.
"We are both pleased and honored to have our first MRIdian sale in Japan at the NCC just a short while after receiving Shonin approval," said Chris A. Raanes, president and chief executive officer of ViewRay.
"I cannot imagine a better partner than the NCC to bring the benefits of the MRIdian System to cancer patients in Japan, and we believe that their order is an indicator of the strong demand and excitement that exists for MRI-guided radiation therapy in Japan."
The National Cancer Center in Japan is one of Japan's leading national cancer treatment facilities, providing patient care for more than 50 years.
The NCC is at the forefront of research in cancer treatment and plays a central role in training doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to specialize in cancer medicine.
"We believe the combination of MRI-imaging with radiation delivery and the ability to adapt our plan during treatment will change the way we treat cancer in Japan," said Jun Itami, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center.
"We look forward to introducing MRIdian to our patients as part of our promise to bring them world-class medical care."
ViewRay is represented in Japan by ITOCHU Corporation, one of the three largest general trading companies in Japan. ITOCHU has been focusing on the healthcare business to promote important medical innovations in Japan for approximately 40 years.
"We are proud to be ViewRay's exclusive distributor in Japan and are very excited that the NCC will be the first in Japan to acquire the MRidian System," said Tadashi Kawamura, general manager of ITOCHU Corporation, Industrial Machinery & Healthcare Business Department.
"With a large aging population, the number of patients in Japan suffering from cancer is increasing every year. We believe the MRIdian System can help physicians and patients in their fight against cancer with its unique MRI-guided radiation therapy technology."