Proton Treatment Center Established in Saudi Arabia

A new proton treatment facility is being equipped to provide cutting-edge cancer treatment in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA, USA) has booked a USD 77 million order with Saudi Particle Therapy Centre, LLC to equip a new proton therapy facility at the King Fahd Medical Center (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Varian will equip the new center with a ProBeam system for five treatment rooms as well as two TrueBeam medical linear accelerators. Equipment delivery and installation is expected to begin in spring 2013 and patient treatments are scheduled to start in late 2014. The agreement will also include a multiyear service contract that should commence as the installation is completed.

“We are honored to have been selected to supply our equipment and software for this prestigious new facility, which will make life-saving proton therapy treatments available for the first time to cancer patients in this region,” said Tim Guertin, Varian’s chief executive officer. “This is an exciting step forward for our Varian Particle Therapy business.”

Proton therapy makes it possible to treat specific types of cancer more precisely and with potentially fewer side effects than with conventional radiation therapy. With proton therapy, the risk of damage to healthy tissues is reduced. The technology can be applied for many of the most common types of cancer and offers advantages when treating tumors close to radiosensitive tissues. In pediatric patients, the risk of developing a new, radiation-induced cancer later in life can be reduced.

“We believe that more and more proton centers will want to employ the full suite of Varian products and technology for radiotherapy and radiosurgery as well as particle therapy for world-class cancer treatments,” said Mr. Guertin. “The combination of these technologies based on 60 years of innovation puts Varian in a unique position to help advance clinical care for patients around the world.”

Varian is currently installing and commissioning its ProBeam system at the Scripps Proton Center near San Diego (CA, USA). The company has also been selected to provide equipment for new proton therapy centers at the University of Maryland (College Park, USA) and in Mestre (Italy). It has been recognized as the preferred provider for a new center at Emory University (Atlanta, GA, USA).

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