RayStation* has been chosen as the treatment planning system for a new carbon-ion therapy facility which is under construction at Yamagata University Hospital in northern Japan. The order represents the first RayStation carbon ion installation in Japan.
Carbon ion therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that precisely targets cancer cells with minimal damage to surrounding tissue. The technique uses a carbon ion beam, accelerated up to 70% of the speed of light. Carbon ion beams are highly effective in destroying cancer cells, and the technique can be effective for cancers that are resistant to X-rays. An additional advantage is that the treatment period often is shorter than for other forms of radiation therapy.
RayStation was selected jointly by Yamagata University Hospital and Toshiba, which is supplying the treatment delivery system. The decision was motivated by RayStation’s outstanding functionality and comprehensive support for this cutting-edge treatment technique. The RayStation installation will include modules for carbon pencil beam scanning with robust biological optimization (using both the MKM and LEM models), deformable registration, dose tracking and adaptive therapy.
The facility expects to treat its first patients by early 2020. Toshiba’s treatment delivery system will comprise two treatment rooms, a fixed-port room and a 360-degree rotating compact superconducting gantry. The facility will be the most compact carbon ion installation in the world, and one of the few integrated into a general hospital.
Johan Löf, CEO of RaySearch, says: “RaySearch is committed to providing the leading support for cutting-edge techniques such as carbon ion therapy, and we are very pleased to meet the needs of Yamagata University Hospital and Toshiba. RayStation has a strong and growing user base in Japan, and we will continue to focus resources on this technologically advanced market.”
About Yamagata University Hospital
Yamagata University Hospital is a major general hospital located in Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan. Established in 1976, the hospital offers a wide range of medical specialties, including oncology. The hospital’s clinical cancer center was established in 2007. Yamagata University Hospital works to pursue its philosophy of “deeply humane and reliable medical care.”
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, proton and carbon ion therapy*. The system is built on the latest software architecture and features a graphical user interface with state-of-the-art usability.
About RaySearch
RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) is a medical technology company that develops innovative software solutions for improved cancer treatment. RaySearch markets the RayStation treatment planning system to clinics all over the world and distributes products through licensing agreements with leading medical technology companies. The company recently launched the next-generation oncology information system, RayCare*, which comprises a new product area for RaySearch. RaySearch’s software is used by over 2,600 clinics in more than 65 countries. The company was founded in 2000 as a spin-off from Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the share has been listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since November 2003.
To learn more about RaySearch, go to: www.raysearchlabs.com
* Subject to regulatory clearance in some markets.
For further information, please contact:
Johan Löf, President and CEO, RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ)
Telephone: +46 (0)8-510 530 00
johan.lof@raysearchlabs.com