January 31, 2012 — Varian Medical Systems announced a $77 million order with Saudi Particle Therapy Centre LLC to equip a new proton therapy facility at the King Fahd Medical Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Varian will equip the new center with a ProBeam system for five treatment rooms as well as two TrueBeam medical linear accelerators. Equipment delivery and installation is expected to commence in spring 2013 with patient treatments scheduled to begin in late 2014. The agreement also includes a multi-year service contract that should start as the installation is completed.
Proton therapy makes it possible to treat certain types of cancer more precisely and with potentially fewer side effects than with conventional radiation therapy. With proton therapy, the risk of damage to healthy tissues is reduced. The method can be applied for many of the most common types of cancer and offers advantages when treating tumors close to radiosensitive tissues. In pediatric patients the risk of developing a new, radiation-induced cancer later in life can be reduced.
"We believe that more and more proton centers will want to employ the full suite of Varian products and technology for radiotherapy and radiosurgery as well as particle therapy for world-class cancer treatments," said Tim Guertin, Varian's chief executive officer.
Varian is currently installing and commissioning its ProBeam system at the Scripps Proton Center near San Diego. The company has also been selected to provide equipment for new proton therapy centers at the University of Maryland and in Mestre, Italy. It has also been identified as the preferred provider for a new center at Emory University near Atlanta.
For more information: www.varian.com
May 06, 2024 
