Varian receives FDA 510(k) clearance for ProBeam proton therapy system

PALO ALTO, CA, 15 January
Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its updated ProBeam™ proton therapy system.

Varian's ProBeam system gives clinicians options for delivering dose precisely in order to minimize dose to healthy tissue in the course of delivering proton therapy treatments for cancer. Its scanning beam technology enables intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) by modulating dose levels on a spot-by-spot basis throughout the treatment area. Irradiations from multiple angles are combined in an optimal manner to improve control of dose distributions. Scanning beam technology also eliminates the time-consuming need to manually insert separate shaping accessories for each beam angle in order to match the beam to the shape of the tumor.

Varian's scanning beam IMPT technology is already at work in the Rinecker Proton Therapy Center in Germany, which has now treated over 1,500 patients. Varian also has contracts to install ProBeam systems at six sites: four in the United States, one in Saudi Arabia, and one in Russia.
©

Evaluation of neutron dose equivalent from the Mevion S250 proton accelerator

Phys Med Biol. 2013 Dec 21;58(24):8709-23. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/58/24/8709.

Evaluation of neutron dose equivalent from the Mevion S250 proton accelerator: measurements and calculations.

Chen KL, Bloch CD, Hill PM, Klein EE.

Abstract

Neutron production is of concern for proton therapy, especially for passive scattering proton beam delivery methods. The levels of neutron dose equivalent vary significantly with system design and treatment parameters. The purpose of this study was to examine neutron dose equivalent per therapeutic dose (H/D) around the Mevion S250 proton therapy system, a novel design of proton therapy systems. The benchmark comparisons between measurement and simulation were found to be within a factor of 2 for most cases. The H/D values were evaluated as a function of various parameters. The results showed that, at a standard reference condition (10 × 10 cm(2) field size, distance 1 m detector-to-isocenter lateral to the primary proton beam direction), the H/D values range from 0.72 to 3.37 mSv Gy(-1) for all configurations studied. The H/D values generally (1) decreased as the neutron detectors moved away from the isocenter, (2) decreased with increasing aperture field sizes, (3) increased with increasing angle from the initial beam axis and (4) were independent of treatment nozzle position. The H/D trends were consistent with other existing passive scattering proton accelerators reported in the literature.

PMID: 24301001

©

BPI France invests €1.5m in Sigmaphi

Source: France unquote
27 Aug 2013
State-backed BPI France has injected €1.5m into Brittany-based Sigmaphi, a specialist manufacturer of electro-magnets and particle beam transport lines for particle accelerators.
The fresh funding will allow Sigmaphi to expand into new markets, as well as stabilise the company's finances. The capital injection comes shortly after the company began its pursuit of expansion into the power electronics market.
Company
Founded in 1981, Sigmaphi is based in Vannes and employs 130 staff. The company designs and manufactures electro-magnets and particle beam transport lines for particle accelerators.
Sigmaphi also provides electro-magnets to the healthcare industry, which are used to treat certain cancers as part of hadrontherapy or protontherapy.
According to BPI France, Sigmaphi's turnover doubled between 2010-2012 due to its international expansion, notably into China and Japan. The company's turnover is believed to have sat at €11.3m in 2012 and €5m in 2010.
People
Jean-Luc Lancelot is the director of Sigmaphi. BPI France's Alain Fakhoury led the deal.
Advisers
Equity – Geirec, Stéphane Durand, Jérôme Hostiou (Financial due diligence); PDGB, Roy Arakelian, Benoît Pardigon (Legal).
Company – Mazars, Gérard Tatrie (Corporate finance); Fidal, Marion Megroz-Arzul (Legal).
©

RaySearch starts collaboration with CNAO Foundation

STOCKHOLM, 20 December 2013 - RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ.) has received an order for its RayStation® treatment planning system from CNAO Foundation (Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica) in Pavia, Italy.

CNAO is a clinical facility created and financed by the Italian Ministry of Health that will supply ion beam therapy to patients from all of Italy. The proton and carbon ion beams are generated by an accelerator complex built by CNAO in collaboration with other European institutions including INFN, CERN and GSI. CNAO started treating patients with proton beams in September 2011. The first patient treatment with carbon ions took place in November 2012. From 2014 the facility will start running at full capacity with the operational goal to treat about 2000 patients annually.

CNAO is the second combined proton and carbon ion center to select the RayStation® treatment planning system following MedAustron in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. The ion beam therapy delivered at these centers represents the most advanced form of external radiotherapy where the tumor is irradiated with protons or carbon ions. Compared to conventional photon radiotherapy the energy deposition of the ion beams can be controlled much more effectively. The radiation dose can be delivered more precisely and as a result, the unwanted dose to healthy tissues is reduced, leading to a reduction of treatment-related side effects. In addition, radiation therapy with carbon ions can be used to target tumors with low levels of oxygen, so called hypoxic tumors, for which conventional radiation therapy has limited effect.

The order comprises all of RayStation's current functionality as well as the new carbon ion planning functionality. The carbon ion planning module, which builds on the current pencil beam scanning functionality for protons, will serve both normal clinical use and research needs. The module optimizes the scanning pattern for discrete and line scanned beams with physical dose calculated either by a pencil beam algorithm or a Monte Carlo algorithm. The system will use RaySearch's well-proven optimization platform to optimize directly the biologically effective dose.

Johan Löf, CEO of RaySearch Laboratories AB says: "This order from one of the leading radiation therapy centers in the world is important to us for several reasons. Not only is it the second RayStation® order in the field of carbon ions, it also provides unique and essential validation and research opportunities to support the development of RayStation's carbon ion planning module. We really look forward to collaborating with the CNAO team in this field."

About RayStation®
RayStation® integrates all RaySearch's advanced treatment planning solutions into a flexible treatment planning system. It combines unique features such as multi-criteria optimization tools with full support for 4D adaptive radiation therapy. It also includes functionality such as RaySearch's market-leading algorithms for IMRT and VMAT optimization and highly accurate dose engines for photon, electron and proton therapy. The system is built on the latest software architecture and has a graphical user interface offering state-of-the-art usability.

About RaySearch
RaySearch Laboratories is a medical technology company that develops advanced software solutions for improved radiation therapy of cancer. RaySearch's products are mainly sold through license agreements with leading partners such as Philips, Nucletron, IBA, Varian, Accuray and Brainlab. To date, 15 products have been launched through partners and RaySearch's software is used at over 2,300 clinics in more than 30 countries. In addition, RaySearch offers the proprietary treatment planning system RayStation® directly to clinics. RaySearch was founded in 2000 as a spin-off from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the company is listed in the Small Cap segment on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm.

©