One of the most accomplished cancer programs in the U.S., Atrium Health Levine Cancer, is scheduled to open its new Atrium Health Proton & Advanced Radiation Center in late 2023. It will install the Catalyst+ PT Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT) solution in the treatment vault housing the cancer center’s MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System* and will be the first proton therapy system in the Carolinas to offer surface guidance during radiation therapy treatments to their patients. Its installation represents a $69 million investment into the Charlotte, North Carolina community. The center will sit on Atrium Health’s midtown hospital campus and less than a mile away from a second campus of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and “The Pearl” innovation district, which are both also under construction.

“Our goal is to bring the power and precision of the most sophisticated forms of radiation treatment to patients,” said Dr. Stuart Burri, chair of radiation oncology at Atrium Health Levine Cancer. “With the addition of this new technology, coupled with the expertise of our medical teams, Atrium Health will continue to be a global destination health care site.”

Standard radiation therapy is effective and has seen great innovations in recent decades, but it can deliver radiation to healthy areas around the tumor it targets. When a tumor grows in the brain, lung, eye, head and neck, or other locations radiation can pose a risk to critical tissue nearby. Proton beam therapy targets radiation precisely to the 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 quality of life.

Proton therapy can be used for individuals of all ages and has been proven to be effective for complex cancer cases and very young children and infants. Atrium Health’s proton therapy system – the MEVION S250i with HYPERSCAN Pencil Beam Scanning – will enable faster and sharper delivery of therapeutic radiation to tumors while sparing healthy tissue.

Catalyst+ PT supports the entire proton therapy workflow and will provide the Atrium Health clinical teams with a comprehensive end-to-end solution for its proton therapy service – from 4DCT patient preparation to online patient tracking during treatment delivery. This ensures optimal treatment outcomes without exposing the patients to non-prescribed radiation doses.

“Proton therapy is considered to be one of the most advanced forms of precision radiation therapy and our Catalyst+ PT enables enhanced accurate tumor positioning and monitoring during treatment,” said Cecilia de Leeuw, CEO and president of C-RAD AB. “We are pleased with our intelligent integration capabilities for the Mevion system and are looking forward to collaborating with Atrium Health teams to deliver our proton SGRT solution for improved patient safety and comfort.”

“Proton beam therapy is not widely available due to the expertise, expense and space it requires,” Burri said. “By making this available at Atrium Health Levine Cancer, adults and children can receive this powerful, often life-saving care right here, close to home, without having to travel long distances for their treatment. That helps us better deliver on our mission of providing health, hope and healing for all.”

When the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Proton & Advanced Radiation Center opens, it will be the only center of its kind between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, and one of just 42 proton beam therapy sites in the United States. Atrium Health Levine Cancer has the largest cancer program in the Carolinas and one of the largest programs in the Southeast U.S., with more than 25 cancer care locations, providing access to top-ranked physician expertise, groundbreaking clinical trials and the latest cancer treatments.

C-RAD received this order from the customer in June 2023.