February 13, 2009 - American Shared Hospital Services (AMS) said that it is developing a proton beam radiation therapy (PBRT) facility in the San Francisco Bay Area.
AMS has entered into a non-binding agreement with Varian Medical Systems under which Varian will supply proton therapy equipment for the planned three-room treatment facility. AMS currently is evaluating several potential sites, and is forming a consortium of hospital partners for what should be the first PBRT center in Northern California.
"Widely regarded as the optimal radiation treatment for a wide variety of cancers, proton beam radiation therapy is the most significant advance in radiation oncology in a generation. AMS is proud to take the lead in making this advanced therapy available to cancer patients in the Bay Area," said Ernest A. Bates, M.D., chairman and CEO of American Shared Hospital Services. "Subject to financing and FDA clearance, we and our partners hope to begin treating patients at our PBRT facility in San Francisco by 2011."
AMS has previously announced contracts to place PBRT devices at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Orlando Regional Healthcare (with professional services to be provided exclusively by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando) and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (in partnership with A.M. Nisar Syed & Associates, a leading radiation oncology group).
"We are negotiating contracts to place additional PBRT systems in medical centers throughout the country," Dr. Bates said.
For more information: www.ashs.com, www.varian.com
May 06, 2024 
