Hitachi to Build Facility for Proton Cancer Therapy in Texas
Jiji Press, 8 May 2003
Tokyo, May 8 (Jiji Press) - Hitachi Ltd. said Thursday it has received an order to design and construct a facility for proton beam-based cancer therapy at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
A ground-breaking ceremony for the project was held Thursday. The facility is expected to be fully operational in June 2006.
The deal is worth several billion yen.
The U.S. cancer center will be the second medical institution to have a Hitachi-developed proton beam facility, after the Proton Medical Research Center of University of Tsukuba, Japan.
Proton therapy is drawing attention as a more effective and safer way to treat cancer patients. As proton beams are applied locally to a patient's tumor, surrounding healthy tissue and organs are unaffected.
Hitachi's proton beam technology for therapy grew out of its nuclear power facility business.
Once fully operational, the Houston facility is expected to treat 3,400 cancer patients annually. The center currently treats 65,000 outpatients every year.