CHARLOTTE, N.C. & LITTLETON, Mass., Dec. 11, 2023 – Atrium Health Levine Cancer achieved a groundbreaking milestone with the delivery and start of installation of a state-of-the-art proton accelerator unit. Weighing in at 15 tons, this crucial piece of equipment will serve as the powerhouse for proton beam therapy at the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Proton & Advanced Radiation Center, upon completion of installation next year.

Proton beam therapy targets radiation precisely to a tumor, leaving the areas around it unharmed. It’s been used clinically for more than 60 years and has been proven to be safe, effective and to improve the quality of life for patients. It is not widely available, however, due to the expertise, expense and space it requires for hospitals to install and maintain. By providing this powerful treatment in Charlotte, adult patients at Levine Cancer and pediatric patients at Atrium Health Levine Children’s will be able to receive this advanced therapy close to home.

“This is one of the final steps in completing the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Proton and Advanced Radiation Center,” said Dr. Ruben Mesa, president of Atrium Health Levine Cancer. “It will play a pivotal role in advancing cancer care for patients across the region. This cutting-edge technology will enhance patient outcomes and provide hope to many families who would have to travel outside of Charlotte to receive these life saving treatments.”

“We congratulate Atrium Health for becoming the first in the Carolinas, and one of only a small number of health systems, nationwide, to offer this cutting-edge therapy,” said Tina Yu, president and CEO of Mevion Medical Systems, which manufactures the proton therapy equipment. “Mevion transformed radiation oncology by inventing compact proton therapy. With this technology, Atrium Health will be able to offer its patients this ideal treatment for many types of tumors, especially tumors in sensitive locations of the body and in pediatric patients.”

In addition to proton beam therapy, the Proton and Advanced Radiation Center will also soon offer gamma knife radiosurgery, a unique technology that targets brain lesions that are difficult to treat through surgery or radiation due to their location. Like proton therapy, gamma knife radiosurgery delivers targeted radiation with extreme precision, leaving very few effects on the tissue around it. It is done entirely as an outpatient procedure and doesn’t require an incision or general anesthesia. While it can treat other conditions of the brain, gamma knife radiosurgery’s most common use is for brain metastases.

The Atrium Health Levine Cancer Proton and Advanced Radiation Center will be open to patients before the end of 2023, first offering gamma knife radiosurgery treatments, followed in mid-to-late 2024 by proton beam therapy sessions. When all services are available to patients, the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Proton and Advanced Radiation Center will be the only location offering proton therapy treatments between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, and one of just 44 proton beam therapy sites in the country.

About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created from the combination with Advocate Aurora Health. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association’s Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.8 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.

About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.

About Mevion Medical Systems
Mevion Medical Systems is the leading provider of compact proton therapy systems for cancer care. Dedicated to advancing the design and accessibility of proton therapy worldwide, Mevion pioneered the single-room platform and continues to further the science and application of proton therapy. Since 2013, Mevion compact proton therapy single-room systems have been used by leading cancer centers for treating patients. Mevion's series of products, including the flagship MEVION S250i and MEVION S250-FIT* with HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning, represent the world's most compact proton therapy systems that eliminate the obstacles of size, complexity, and cost. Mevion is headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts with a presence in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.mevion.com.

*The MEVION S250-FIT Proton Therapy System™ is not yet available for clinical use.

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