LITTLETON, Mass., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Still River Systems’
groundbreaking proton therapy system is entering the final phase of
installation at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, a
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center. The
precision of proton therapy makes it an important treatment option
for patients with cancer, as it spares the healthy tissue and
results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment complications.
This unique device houses a revolutionary proton source based on
the world’s first superconducting synchrocyclotron and provides a
significant reduction in the size, cost and complexity of
developing and operating a proton therapy center.
This next generation proton therapy system is installed in three
simple phases, in a radiation therapy room comparable in surface to
that of conventional radiotherapy systems. Phase 1 consists of
rigging and mounting the accelerator gantry, which holds and
positions the proton source with sub-millimeter accuracy.
Phase 2 includes assembling and installing the clinical
environment which comprises the 6D robotic couch, the high-accuracy
treatment gantry and its applicators, the 2D/3D imaging and
positioning systems and the clinical software interfaces. The
third and final phase consists of the installation of the
accelerator module. “The execution of phases 1 and 2 of the
first installation went very smoothly and we are targeting 2 months
to complete them in future installations,” explains Bill Alvord,
Vice President of Operations.
The production accelerator is now undergoing clinical
commissioning, and all clinical parameters have exceeded
performance expectations. “The innovative design of our
proton therapy system is simple and modular thus ensuring a lean
and fast production line followed by a quick and efficient system
installation,” states CEO Joseph Jachinowski. “With
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