Hitachi Signs Contract with HIMED Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China to Deliver Particle Therapy System
Tokyo, May 30, 2019 --- Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) today announced that it has signed a contract with Himed Hospital Management (Xuzhou) Co., Ltd. (“Himed”), located in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China, on May 29 to deliver particle therapy system with capability of irradiating both proton and heavy ion. This is the first order for Hitachi's overseas project of multi ion particle therapy system. With its capability of generating both proton and heavy ion in one accelerator, the system can realize flexible treatment according to various symptom of patients and tumor sites.
The system will equip one 360-degree rotating gantry room for proton therapy and three fixed beam rooms for carbon therapy, as well as features including real time image gating motion management to irradiate the targeted tumor while in motion and advanced scanning technology to irradiate even tumors with complex shapes with high precision. A treatment planning software, also included in the scope of contract, will utilize imaging data and calculate the appropriate dose to prepare the most suitable, patient-specific treatment plans for each patient. The system will be installed at comprehensive particle therapy center in Xuzhou city, which Himed starts building construction within this year.
The number of site for particle therapy in China is expected to increase in the future, and multiple particle therapy sites are being built in China.
Hitachi has been proactively promoting particle therapy system business worldwide, supplying world-class facilities around the world with its highly reliable and proven particle therapy systems, which have treated more than 60,000 patients.
Hitachi will continue to accelerate the globalization of its particle therapy system business and contribute to cancer treatment around the world.
Overview of Particle Therapy
Particle Therapy is an advanced type of cancer radiotherapy. Protons extracted from hydrogen atoms, or carbon ions are accelerated up to 70% of the speed of light. This energy is concentrated directly on the tumor while minimizing radiation dose to surrounding healthy tissue. Particle therapy improves the quality of life for cancer patients since the patient experiences no pain during treatment and the procedure has very few side effects compared to that of traditional radiotherapy. In most cases, patients can continue with their normal daily activities while undergoing treatment.
For more information on Hitachi’s Particle Therapy System
http://www.hitachi.com/businesses/healthcare/products-support/pbt/
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is focusing on Social Innovation Business combining its operational technology, information technology and products. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal 2018 (ended March 31, 2019) totaled 9,480.6 billion yen ($85.4 billion), and the company has approximately 296,000 employees worldwide. Hitachi delivers digital solutions utilizing Lumada in five sectors including Mobility, Smart Life, Industry, Energy and IT, to increase our customer’s social, environmental and economic value. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.
