Newswise — Orlando, Florida (January 25, 2017) – UF Health Cancer Center at Orlando Health is working with Mevion Medical Systems to take the next step in the evolution of the health system’s proton therapy center. The organizations are enhancing Orlando Health's proton therapy system with the integration of a mobile, diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scanner. It’s the first time the MEVION S250 compact proton therapy system has ever been paired with advanced CT imaging capabilities, furthering Orlando Health’s history as a pioneer in implementation of state-of-the-art image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT).

“This is a major advancement in how we can precisely position patients for proton therapy compared to conventional imaging methods,” explained Omar Zeidan, Ph.D., chief of proton therapy physics at Orlando Health. “This CT-based IGRT system offers superior, high-resolution 3D imaging for accurate patient positioning.”

“Proton therapy is the most advanced treatment in radiation therapy and has allowed us to significantly reduce harmful radiation to healthy tissue, which is especially important for cancers near sensitive, hard-to-reach locations, both in children and adults,” said Naren R. Ramakrishna, M.D., Ph.D., director of neurologic and pediatric radiation oncology at Orlando Health. “Integrating proton therapy within our cancer center has given us the ability to provide a comprehensive range of services, allowing us to keep our patients in our system to receive the best treatment possible. In-room diagnostic CT imaging for positioning and treatment adaptation is paramount to ensure the most accurate treatment localization with protons,” Ramakrishna added.

The Marjorie and Leonard Williams Center for Proton Therapy at UF Health Cancer Center - Orlando Health treated its first patient in April 2016, and within four months had reached more than 20 patients per day, treating a wide variety of complex cases in adult and pediatric patients, including tumors of the central nervous system, head and neck, breast, spine, and others.

By pairing a diagnostic quality CT scanner inside the treatment room with the state-of-the-art technology in the MEVION S250, the team at Orlando Health has the treatment visibility, flexibility, predictability and adaptability demanded by advanced proton therapy.About Mevion Medical Systems®Mevion Medical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of compact proton therapy systems for cancer care. Mevion is based in Littleton, Massachusetts, with international offices in the Netherlands, Japan and China. For more information, please visit http://www.mevion.com.

About the MEVION S250 Series™

The MEVION S250 Series offers the smallest, most advanced proton therapy solution available today. Its unique gantry-mounted proton accelerator provides superior treatment delivery, reduces complexity and cost, and significantly streamlines operations. No other proton therapy system can match the quality, size, cost and efficiency of the MEVION S250 Series.

The MEVION S250 Series includes:• MEVION S250 Proton Therapy System®, offering highly stable, next-generation volumetric delivery capabilities• MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System™ with HYPERSCAN™ and Adaptive Aperture™, overcoming pencil beam scanning uncertainties by delivering robust IMPT treatment at hyper-speed• MEVION S250mx™, making proton therapy fully scalable, with two, three and four room designs that are inherently redundant and support 100% facility uptime

The MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System with HYPERSCAN with Adaptive Aperture is not yet FDA cleared.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a $2.6 billion not-for-profit healthcare organization and a community-based network of physician practices, hospitals, and outpatient care centers throughout Central Florida. The organization is home to the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics and is a statutory teaching hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. More than 2,000 physicians have privileges at Orlando Health, which is also one of the area’s largest employers with more than 18,000 employees who serve nearly 2 million Central Florida residents and more than 4,500 international patients annually. Additionally, Orlando Health provides more than $204 million in support of community health needs. More information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com.

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