Taiwan's First Heavy Ion Therapy System Starts Treatment at Taipei Veterans General Hospital

May 18, 2023 11:56 JST

Source: Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi's First Heavy Ion System outside of Japan

TOKYO, May 18, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) announced today that it has delivered a heavy ion therapy system to Taipei Veterans General Hospital and the system has started treatment as of May 15. This marks the first operation of heavy ion therapy system in Taiwan and Hitachi's first heavy ion therapy system outside of Japan.

This system has been installed in the new Heavy Ion Therapy Center of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, consisting of two treatment rooms, each equipped with vertical and horizontal ports. It also includes real time image gating motion management, enabling it to treat tumors in motion due to respiration and advanced spot scanning technology to irradiate even tumors with complex shapes with high precision.

Founded in 1958, aiming to become a world-class medical facility, Taipei Veterans General Hospital has continued to provide higher quality medical services for more than 60 years and is recognized around the world as "Taiwan's leading medical center". Recognized as an advanced type of cancer radiotherapy, this heavy ion therapy system is intended to address the unmet cancer treatment demand beyond the capacity of existing proton therapy systems in Taiwan.

Hitachi's particle therapy systems can be found in leading hospitals around the world. With over 85,000 patients* treated to date, the systems have an excellent reputation for reliability. In addition to the Heavy Ion therapy solution delivered to Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Hitachi provides products and services with higher performance and added value, ranging from the dedicated compact Proton Single Room Solution to the Hybrid System combined with the capabilities of proton and carbon therapy.

By promoting its healthcare business together with Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Hitachi supports patient-friendly treatment and improvement of the quality of life (QoL) for cancer patients in Taiwan. It will continue to accelerate the globalization of its particle therapy system business and contribute to the further development of minimally invasive cancer treatments.

*Statistics based on data up to December 2021 published on the PTCOG's website.

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.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the business structure of "Digital Systems & Services" - supporting our customers' digital transformation; "Green Energy & Mobility" - contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and "Connective Industries" - connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31, 2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion yen, with 696 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.

Source: Hitachi, Ltd.
Sectors: MedTech