Next-Generation Patient Positioning System to Improve Proton Therapy

A robotic system has been designed for positioning patients for proton therapy, an alternative to conventional radiation for patients with cancer.

ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. (Bloomington, IN, USA) and Ion Beam Applications S.A. (IBA; Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium) announced that IBA has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of a new generation of patient positioning system (PPS). The PPS was developed by ProCure and IBA in collaboration with Forte Automation Systems, Inc. (Rockford, IL, USA). The first clinical installation will be at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City (OK, USA).

"In the use of proton therapy and other forms of radiation therapy for cancer treatment, the movement of the patient must be precisely controlled to accurately target the tumor in order to achieve the maximum therapeutic dose and avoid harm to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor,” said Niek Schreuder, senior vice president of medical physics and technology, ProCure, and the principal designer of the device. "This new robotic PPS is a cost-effective, custom-designed medical robot under computer control that decreases the time needed to position patients for proton treatments. The new PPS has the advantages of being more user-friendly and flexible, with a greater freedom of motion than currently available systems.”

The basic configuration of the robotic PPS is a selective compliant assembly robot arm (SCARA). It combines commercially available robotic subsystems, which makes it cost-effective and easy to maintain, with custom designed arms to allow for the specific needs of patient positioning in proton therapy. A unique dual coupler system is attached at the end of the wrist of the robot arm that is used to attach different devices to the PPS, such as a patient table or chair, or a test phantom. The device employs safe robotic technology that meets the standards of the Robotics Industry Association (RIA).

Although industrial robots have been used in radiation therapy treatment in the past, this new generation device is the first PPS to be introduced combines the flexibility and accuracy needed for optimal targeting of the treatment site with maximum clinical versatility and ease-of-use.

Some specific advantages and unique design elements of the PPS compared to earlier generations include: (1) a significant increase of the clinically usable area of the proton therapy treatment room. This larger work envelope also makes it suitable for image-guided proton therapy in combination with 3D imaging capability in the treatment room. (2) Optimized movement speeds, which allow for safe and precise motion of the PPS. The range of speed and motion with the pitch-and-roll axes of the robot is restricted to reduce the sensation of movement when the patient is on the table. (3) Improved ergonomics. There are no moving parts in the floor system that supports the device, which allows greater accessibility to the treatment area for patients and therapists.

The new PPS is part of ProCure's strategy to make proton therapy better and more accessible. This includes making the therapy more cost-effective and creating a platform that will allow easy integration of future advanced image-guided proton treatments. ProCure has partnered with IBA since 2005 to implement this strategy. The FDA clearance of this new generation PPS is an essential milestone in this effort.

ProCure Treatment Centers collaborates with leading radiation oncology practices and hospitals and provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training, and day-to-day operations of world-class proton therapy centers. ProCure's solution reduces the time, cost, and effort necessary to create a facility. ProCure is the only company in the world with two proton therapy centers under construction and two others in development. ProCure's Training and Development Center is the first facility in the world dedicated to proton therapy

IBA develops and markets leading-edge technologies, pharmaceuticals, and systems for healthcare with a focus on cancer diagnosis and therapy. IBA is also active in the field of industrial sterilization and ionization.

Related Links:
ProCure Treatment Centers
Ion Beam Applications