August 18, 2016 — Hitachi Asia Ltd. and Hitachi Ltd. announced that Hitachi Asia has received an order for a proton beam therapy (PBT) system from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), including a 10-year service and maintenance agreement. It will be the first proton beam therapy system in Southeast Asia.
The PBT system planned for the centre will be equipped with Hitachi's spot scanning technology and will have four treatment rooms with rotating gantries as well as a fixed beam room. The system will be housed in NCCS' newly constructed 24-story cancer treatment and research center, projected to complete in 2021.
Proton beam therapy is a cutting-edge cancer treatment that reduces side effects commonly found in conventional radiotherapy. Cancer is the No. 1 cause of death in Singapore(1). With NCCS tending to almost 70 percent of all public-sector institutions' cancer patients in Singapore, the availability of the first PBT system in the country is undoubtedly a milestone in its cancer treatment.
Prof. Soo Khee Chee, director of NCCS said, "NCCS aims to provide the best in cancer care. Proton beam therapy benefits cancer patients as they experience fewer side effects. It will also spur Singapore's medical community to look for new remedies for cancer. We are also excited about the research possibilities that will open up when the facility is established."
In December 2007, Hitachi became the first company in the world to clear the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Premarket Notification Special 510(k) for spot scanning irradiation technology with the PBT system. Hitachi then delivered a proton beam therapy system to the largest cancer hospital in the world, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (May 2008), followed by Nagoya Proton Therapy Center (February 2013) and the Hokkaido University Hospital Proton Beam Therapy Center (March 2014). In fiscal year 2015, three more sites in the United States utilizing Hitachi's proton beam therapy system have also begun patient treatment. Hitachi was also awarded the contract with Sibley Memorial Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, in June 2015.
The company's proton beam therapy systems have treated more than 10,000 patients to date while achieving over 98 percent clinical availability rates (system uptime). With long-term service together with quality maintenance, Hitachi's proton beam therapy system is globally renowned for its high reliability.
For more information: www.hitachimed.com
August 09, 2024 
