University of Oklahoma Proton Therapy System Enters Clinical Commissioning

MEVION S250 at Stephenson Cancer Center Speeds Through Acceptance Testing

The MEVION S250 at the Stephenson Cancer Center is now entering the clinical commissioning phase, the final step before treating patients. (Photo: Business Wire)

LITTLETON, Mass.--()--Cancer patients at the Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma are one step closer to benefiting from advanced proton therapy. MEVION Medical Systems is announcing that the MEVION S250 proton therapy system at the Center has completed its rigorous acceptance testing and is now entering the clinical commissioning phase. Clinical commissioning is the final step before physicians begin treating patients with the MEVION S250.

“Providing an advanced proton therapy system for our patients will allow the Stephenson Cancer Center to remain in the forefront of cancer treatment,” said Ozer Algan, MD, director of proton therapy at the Stephenson Cancer Center.

During four weeks of acceptance testing, the MEVION S250 was put through a series of demanding tests to validate that it meets precise technical and clinical performance requirements. The system was shown to meet or exceed all specifications, and its operational control has been officially transitioned to the physics and radiation oncology proton teams at the Stephenson Cancer Center.

“We look forward to treating our first patient with this innovative technology,” said Mike Samis, chairman of the University Hospitals Authority and Trust. “We are committed to clinical innovation and medical excellence, and this first-of-its-kind proton therapy system is a welcome addition to the comprehensive list of cancer services we offer our patients.”

Joe Jachinowski, president and chief executive office of Mevion Medical Systems, said, “We are honored and excited to be collaborating with yet another excellent academic medical center as we seamlessly integrate Mevion’s revolutionary technology into the radiation department at the Stephenson Cancer Center. At Mevion, we aim to provide access to proton therapy to as many patients as possible in order to treat their cancers precisely, efficiently and effectively. This is another step toward that goal.”

Proton therapy targets cancer cells more precisely than traditional photon radiation treatment and results in less damage to surrounding healthy tissue and organs. Because of this, it is ideal for treating pediatric patients and adult patients with cancers in sensitive locations, such as near the brain, spine, heart and lungs.

The MEVION S250 represents an innovative development in proton therapy systems, Jachinowski said. It delivers the same treatment advantages and capabilities of significantly larger and more expensive proton therapy systems but with a much smaller footprint, improved reliability, more efficient patient access, and dramatically lower capital and operational costs.

The world’s first MEVION S250 opened in December 2013 at the S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The system treated has demonstrated the fastest per-room ramp up of any proton therapy system in the world to date.

Five additional MEVION S250 systems are being installed in the United States. They are at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.; Ackerman Cancer Center in Jacksonville, Fla.; University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland; MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.; and the University of Florida Health Cancer Center at Orlando Health. These installations make Mevion Medical Systems a leading supplier of proton therapy systems in the U.S.

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About Mevion Medical Systems

Mevion Medical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of proton therapy systems for use in radiation treatment for cancer patients. Mevion’s flagship product, the MEVION S250 proton therapy platform, is the only modular, single room proton therapy system currently on the market. The MEVION S250 integrates with standard radiation therapy workflow and provides a proton therapy treatment environment at a fraction of the cost, footprint and operational complexity of conventional systems.

Mevion is privately held and based in Littleton, Massachusetts, with international offices in the United Kingdom and Japan. For more information, please visit www.mevion.com.

About the Stephenson Cancer Center

Oklahoma’s only comprehensive academic cancer center, the Stephenson Cancer Center is a nationally recognized leader in research and patient care. The Stephenson Cancer Center annually ranks among the top five cancer centers in the nation for patients participating in National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trials, and it is one of 30 designated lead centers nationally in the Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network. In collaboration with the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, the Stephenson Cancer Center is decreasing the burden of cancer in Oklahoma by supporting innovative laboratory, clinical and populations-based research. The Stephenson Cancer Center has 180 research members who are conducting over 100 cancer research projects at institutions across Oklahoma. This research is supported by $28.7 million in annual funding from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and other sponsors.

Contacts

For Mevion Medical Systems
Tom Langford, 617-761-6775
tom.langford@fkhealth.com

Contacts

For Mevion Medical Systems
Tom Langford, 617-761-6775
tom.langford@fkhealth.com