Cancer Patients Gain Access to Proton Therapy Treatments at German Clinic

A Munich proton therapy center has doubled its capacity with the successful commissioning of a second treatment room that will enable it to deliver intensity-modulated proton therapy using pencil-beam scanning technology.

"The commissioning of our second treatment gantry will enable us to double our capacity and we are very pleased to be able to offer advanced proton therapy to twice as many patients,” said Dr. Joerg Hauffe, chief executive officer of ProHealth, the Rinecker Proton Therapy Center's (RPTC; Munich, Germany) operating company. "We can now make more efficient use of this life-saving technology by switching the proton beam between rooms so we can treat in one room while we're setting up a patient for treatment in the other room. Before the year is out, we expect to commission three more treatment rooms.”

When completed, the Rinecker Proton Therapy Center will be a state-of-the-art proton facility with four gantry rooms and one fixed-beam room, the latter of which will specialize in treating delicate tumors such as small head, neck, and eye cancers and tumors close to the spinal cord. The two additional gantry rooms are due to be ready for clinical treatment during 2010.

Unlike conventional X-ray-based radiotherapy that utilizes photons and electrons, particle therapy involves delivering heavier proton particles to destroy tumors. Proton therapy enables oncologists to improve dose control and limit exposure to healthy tissue while treating cancer and other indications. As a result, proton technology is moving from research facilities into active cancer treatment clinics such as RPTC.

Dr. Hauffe noted that RPTC benefits from being able to offer Varian' Medical System's (Palo Alto, CA, USA) pencil-beam spot scanning delivery method, which offers distinct performance advantages for more precise dose distribution than is possible with other proton delivery systems. "We believe pencil-beam scanning is the best approach for patients because you can more easily and effectively shape the dose distribution as necessary and lessen exposure to critical organs such as the spinal cord, which is difficult to achieve using the standard scattering proton technique employed by most other proton centers. Studies show that we are lowering exposure to healthy tissue and making hypo-fractionation more of a reality in radiotherapy treatments,” commented Dr. Hauffe.

Hypo-fractionation involves delivering the prescribed dose in fewer treatment sessions, or fractions, thus reducing the number of times patients have to come for treatment.

More than 80 treatment courses have been concluded at RPTC and several more patients are currently undergoing treatment. The patients have come from Germany and 18 other countries, including Canada, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Among these patients have been several children, as proton therapy's ability to limit exposure to healthy tissue is particularly valuable in pediatric treatments.

Lester Boeh, head of Varian's emerging businesses, said, "The Rinecker Proton Therapy Center is delivering the most advanced particle treatments available, and Varian is proud to be part of this ground-breaking venture.”

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. is a world-leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy.

The Rinecker Proton Therapy Center is the first fully certified proton radiation center in Europe, offering a complete hospital setting with five treatment rooms (gantries) for 4,000 patients per year. Sophisticated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET)-CT systems provide precise diagnostics for three-dimensional (3D) proton radiation therapy planning.

Related Links:
Rinecker Proton Therapy Center
Varian Medical Systems