January 25, 2018 – IBA (Ion Beam Applications SA) has announced that the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) Proton Therapy Center treated the first patient on its IBA Proteus Plus in January 2018. UMCG successfully treated the first patient within 13 months of installation of the system. This is the first patient to receive proton beam therapy in The Netherlands.
The Proteus Plus at UMCG is configured with two gantry treatment rooms equipped with IBA’s pencil beam scanning (PBS) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) large field of view image guidance. These technologies improve the precision of treatment and enable adaptive treatment. The center also benefits from the most advanced room matching available, enabling maximum flexibility of room scheduling and allowing for a minimum 30 percent reduction in commissioning time, therefore, giving maximum flexibility for patient treatment. Rooms are also supplied with IBA’s wireless hand pendant, the only wireless patient remote control in the radiation therapy industry, according to the company, as well as a new-generation, highaccuracy and precision Patient Positioning System.
The UMCG Proton Therapy Center is the first of three centers planned to treat patients in The Netherlands, according to the company.
J.A. Hans Langendijk, Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology at UMCG Proton Therapy Center, added: “In 2009, a team of experts in The Netherlands evaluated the benefits of proton therapy and how to select the patients appropriately. They estimated that over 5800 patients annually could benefit from this cutting-edge cancer treatment in The Netherlands. Three centers are currently being built across the country and we are proud that the UMCG is now the first to deliver proton therapy treatment to patients.
For more information: www.iba-worldwide.com