Varian Medical Systems has been chosen to install its ProBeam proton therapy system at the new multi-room Holland Proton Therapy Research Center (HollandPTC) in Delft, the Netherlands.
A key part of Medical Delta, HollandPTC will feature two proton therapy treatment rooms with full rotational gantries, as well as facilities for fixed-beam eye treatments and research when completed.
Medical Delta is the medical-technological collaboration of the universities and university medical centres of Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam.
Varian particle therapy business managing director Moataz Karmalawy said: "We are pleased to be selected to supply our ProBeam system for this prestigious project.
"As well as offering pencil-beam scanning, the most advanced form of proton therapy, HollandPTC will be a key research site feeding into a national program to study the efficacy of protons."
Featuring dynamic peak scanning, the ProBeam system is capable of high-speed intensity modulated proton therapy that is claimed to be the most precise form of proton therapy available.
Proton therapy is believed to be capable of treating certain types of cancer with more precision and with potentially lesser side effects compared to conventional radiation therapy.
The therapy reduces the risk of damage to healthy tissues and potential side effects as the beam is designed to stop and deposit dose within the tumour site, rather than passing all the way through the patient.
ProBeam technology is being used to treat patients at Scripps Proton Therapy Centre in San Diego, the Rinecker Proton Therapy Centre in Munich and at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland.
In addition, Varian is under contracts for system installations at eight other sites worldwide.
Equipment installation under the contract, which will be booked by the company during the third quarter of 2015, is expected to take place in mid-2016. Patient treatments will begin in the second half of 2017.
