Prominent Medical Physicists Visit New Proton Therapy Center at University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville |
Orlando, FL, July 30, 2006 - Concurrent with the commencement of the 48th annual meeting of The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute on Saturday welcomed physicists to tour the new cancer treatment facility in Jacksonville that uses the most advanced technology available to treat and cure cancer. Proton therapy delivers a precise radiation treatment while destroying cancer cells and minimizing damage to healthy tissue. That reduces side effects and lessens the risk of developing complications from treatment in later life. It is especially beneficial for treating cancer in children and adults with cancers in sensitive areas like the head, neck, lung, breast and prostate.
“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to host colleagues from the medical physics community to showcase our new, state-of-art facility” said Stuart Klein, executive director of UFPTI, “The technology required to safely deliver proton radiotherapy is complex, and requires a considerable amount of support from the medical physics staff. Many of our guests had never seen a proton facility dedicated to cancer treatment and research”.
The 98,000 square foot facility includes a proton therapy system developed by Ion Beam Applications (IBA), the world’s leading provider of medical particle therapy (PT) facilities. In the US, IBA Proton Therapy has been chosen by 5 out of the 7 PT facilities. “IBA is excited to forge several new relationships with leading research and clinical institutions to continue to explore the vast opportunities of particle therapy”, said Yves Jongen, Chief Research Officer and founder of IBA, “The enthusiastic response and success of the tour confirms the growing interest in our technology among the medical physics community, as well as interest in the demonstrated potential of this superior treatment modality”.
Patients at Florida Proton receive proton therapy in one of four treatment rooms – three equipped with gantries and one with a fixed beam. Each gantry is three-stories tall, weighs 100 metric tons and rotates around the patient bed permitting proton therapy to be directed from any angle. The fixed beam treatment room delivers protons with a stationary device and can be used for patients with eye disorders, like macular degeneration.
University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute (UFPTI)
Contact: Theresa Makrush
(904) 359-0981, ext. 3199
E-mail : tmakrush@trsg.net
Website : www.floridaproton.org
About Ion Beam Applications (IBA)
IBA delivers solutions of a unique precision in the fields of cancer diagnosis and therapy. The company also offers sterilization and ionization solutions to improve the hygiene and safety of everyday life. IBA is listed on the pan-European stock exchange EURONEXT, is integrated into the NextEconomy market segment and belongs to BelMid index.
IBA
Contact: Bernt Nordin
Executive Vice-President, IBA Particle Therapy
Phone: +32 10 47 59 07
E-mail : bernt.nordin@iba-group.com
Website: www.iba-worldwide.com
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