Willis-Knighton Cancer Center in Shreveport, Louisiana to Install First Ultra-Compact Proton Therapy Solution from IBA

The first U.S. installation of a newly designed, single-room compact proton therapy solution from IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB) will be at a proton facility being developed by Willis-Knighton Cancer Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The single-room solution, called Proteus ONE™*, was conceived by IBA engineers to provide a smaller, less costly option for cancer centers that may not have the budget or real estate to develop a comprehensive, multi-room proton therapy facility. Proteus ONE™ makes protons possible for more cancer centers and their patients worldwide.

The size of Proteus ONE™ is about 15 meters by 29 meters including the shielding walls, or about the size of two typical linac vaults. Unlike previous systems, this single-treatment-room solution may be housed in a small building addition to an existing facility. Proteus ONE™ is composed of an advanced non-superconductive cyclotron, an integrated Cone Beam CT, a new compact gantry and patient-friendly treatment room. The system is valued between $25 and $30 million with an additional long-term maintenance agreement.

In contrast, many of today's proton therapy installations typically are housed in four- to five-treatment-room facilities. These facilities are ordinarily about the size of a football field, and cost from $150 million to $250 million, including the proton beam system.

"We’re very pleased to be among the pioneers of IBA’s new proton beam solution,” said Lane R. Rosen, M.D., Director of Radiation Oncology at Willis-Knighton Cancer Center. "And we’re excited about the opportunity to be the very first to use IBA’s compact Pencil Beam Scanning technology.”

Willis-Knighton Cancer Center representatives sought out IBA about the development timeline for Proteus ONE™ after the Belgian company announced plans for the more affordable, smaller scale proton solution nearly two years ago, Rosen said. "We’ve been pursuing the prospect of a single-room proton solution for many years,” he added. "When IBA announced its plans for Proteus ONE™, we jumped at the opportunity.”

"This solution incorporates much of the current technology and all of our experience with our premium Proteus Plus™ proton system — in a smaller unit,” said Mary Elizabeth Klein, Director of IBA Global Sales for Particle Therapy. "The team at Willis-Knighton will demonstrate to other cancer centers how they can now afford to offer the most effective clinical cancer treatment modality to their patient community. We look forward to working with Willis-Knighton to make Proton Therapy more accessible to patients everywhere.”

Construction of a two-story addition to the existing cancer center will begin by late 2011. The facility’s first patients are expected to be treated with cancer-fighting proton beams in early 2014. It is projected the new Willis-Knighton Proton Center will serve about 200 cancer patients annually.

The $40 million project includes the Proteus ONE™, additional clinical space for radiation, medical, and surgical oncology, and expansion of patient-support services. The center will be developed on a two-acre site in Shreveport. Once completed, the proton center will employ about 30 health care professionals. Rosen said he expects the majority of cancer patient referrals to come from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas.

"Our engineers have designed the optimal proton beam solution for many cancer centers in the U.S.,” said Pierre Mottet, Chief Executive Officer of IBA. "Considering the financial and footprint challenges that Proteus ONE™ resolves, we expect a long line of cancer centers will be looking into this solution. We’re thrilled that Willis-Knighton is at the forefront of that group.”

The Willis-Knighton Proton Center is being designed by The Estopinal Group, a Jeffersonville, Indiana-based architectural firm.

IBA has installed proton beam treatment systems at seven of the nine operational proton therapy centers in the U.S., including Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts; the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute in Bloomington, Indiana; the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, Florida; the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s Roberts Proton Therapy Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute in Hampton, Virginia; CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center in Chicago, Illinois and the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

IBA is committed to making proton therapy, the most accurate cancer treatment, available worldwide. To date, IBA has installed eleven operational proton beam systems, with another ten centers under development around the world.

Proton therapy is considered the most advanced and targeted cancer treatment due to its superior dose distribution and fewer side effects. Protons deposit the majority of their effective energy within a precisely controlled range, directly within the tumor, sparing healthy surrounding tissue. Higher doses can be delivered to the tumor without increasing the risk of side effects and long-term complications, thereby improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

Website: www.iba-proteusone.com

*Proteus ONE™ is the brand name of a new configuration of the Proteus 235, including some new developments subject to review by Competent Authorities (FDA, European Notified Bodies, et al.) before marketing.

ABOUT IBA
IBA develops and markets leading-edge technologies, pharmaceuticals and tailor-made solutions for healthcare with a focus on cancer diagnosis and therapy. Leveraging its scientific expertise, IBA is also active in the field of industrial sterilization and ionization.
Listed on the pan-European stock exchange EURONEXT, IBA is included in the BelMid Index.
(IBA: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB).
Website: www.iba-worldwide.com

ABOUT WILLIS-KNIGHTON CANCER CENTER
Opened in 2000, the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center provides a wide range of treatment options for cancer patients including radiation oncology, medical oncology and hematology, surgical oncology and gynecologic oncology. The Cancer Center provides diagnostic services such as PET/CT, X-ray, CT and laboratory. It also offers social services counseling, nutritional counseling, educational resources, community education programs and support groups.
Website: www.wkhs.com/Cancer

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