LITTLETON, Mass, November 3rd 2014 -- /Business Wire/ -- Mevion Medical Systems is announcing the delivery of its MEVION S250 proton therapy superconducting synchrocyclotron accelerator to the University of Florida Health Cancer Center at Orlando Health. The accelerator delivery is a major milestone in the construction of the center’s new proton beam therapy system, which will treat cancer in adults and children.

Proton therapy precisely delivers radiation doses to tumors while sparing much of the surrounding healthy tissue, thus making it ideal for treating pediatric patients, as well as adult cancers in sensitive locations such as near the heart or brain. As Central Florida’s most advanced cancer center, the UF Health Cancer Center – Orlando Health is the first hospital in the region to install a proton therapy system. Installation of the accelerator will take just a few days, and construction of the proton center is expected to be completed next year. “We are committed to providing the best possible care for each patient who walks through our doors,” said Daniel J. Buchholz, MD, chairman of radiation oncology at UF Health Cancer Center – Orlando Health. “Proton therapy is an important cancer fighting tool that is now available to us with the MEVION S250 because it is significantly more cost-effective than other proton systems on the market, yet provides the same benefits for patients, giving us the option of treating with protons when we need to.”

The MEVION S250 is a unique proton therapy platform. It requires far less space and has lower capital and operational costs than traditional systems. Also, it is a flexible solution; any health care organization can install one single-room MEVION proton therapy system, or as many as they need to treat their patient population.

Like the rest of the MEVION S250 system, the accelerator itself is highly advanced, compact, patented technology. Due to its small size, it is the only proton beam cyclotron accelerator that can easily be delivered and installed. Consequently, its journey from Mevion’s Boston area headquarters to Orlando was a simple drive down I-95. Designed and manufactured in the United States, the accelerator delivered to Orlando is one of only six in the entire world.

“Proton therapy is a revolutionary treatment option for many patients who are diagnosed with cancer, and we are proud to lead the way with a fiscally responsible system that provides outstanding benefits to patients, providers, and the entire healthcare system,” said Joseph K. Jachinowski, chief executive officer of Mevion Medical Systems. “The delivery of the proton accelerator to the UF Health Cancer Center – Orlando Health is an important next step toward ensuring patients in Central Florida have access to this life-saving therapy.”

The first MEVION S250 was installed last December at the Kling Center for Proton Therapy at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and is already treating more than 20 pediatric and adult cancer patients per day. The system is running with 97% uptime.

Five additional MEVION S250s are under installation at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.; Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Okla.; Ackerman Cancer Center in Jacksonville, Fla.; University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio; and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., making Mevion a leading supplier of proton therapy in the U.S.
About Mevion Medical 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.

Medical Contact & Source:
Tom Langford 
E: tom.langford@fkhealth.com
P: 617-761-6775
High-resolution photos available