News Releases

03/14/2016

Hitachi “PROBEAT-V” Advanced Proton Beam Therapy System Now In Use at Mayo Clinic in Arizona

Tokyo, March 14, 2016 -- Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501, “Hitachi”) today announced that Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ began treating patients with its advanced PROBEAT-V proton therapy system on March 14.

Mayo Clinic – Phoenix AZ

The PROBEAT-V is a state-of-the-art proton beam therapy system used to deliver Hitachi’s Discrete Spot Scanning capability to each treatment room. The 190 degree half gantries provide efficient yet spacious treatment room environments. Hitachi’s smallest treatment spot size to date enables the system to achieve highly precise treatments.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota is also equipped with an identical proton therapy system and has been treating patients since June, 2015.

Mayo Clinic treats more than 1.3 million patients annually from all 50 states and 143 countries. Mayo Clinic has maintained its position as one of the top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report rankings for more than 20 years.

Hitachi’s has now supplied proton therapy systems for four centers in the United States, with a fifth system currently under construction.

Given the growing demand for technical and clinical advancements in the treatment of cancer, interest in proton therapy is on the rise, with more and more hospitals and cancer treatment facilities venturing into this area. Hitachi will continue to globally expand the healthcare business where proton therapy is its flagship solution, and contribute to cancer treatment around the world.

Details of the PROBEAT-V System can be found at the following link:

http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2015/09/150915.html

Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is an advanced form of external beam radiotherapy. Protons from hydrogen atoms are extracted and accelerated up to 70% the speed of light. Its energy is concentrated directly on the tumor while avoiding radiation dose to the surrounding healthy tissues. PBT 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 with that of traditional radiotherapy. In most cases, patients can continue with their normal daily activities while undergoing treatment. Because there are fewer side effects, PBT is expected to expand, especially for pediatric treatment.

Spot-scanning irradiation technology does not scatter proton beams as with conventional proton beam therapy. Rather, it repeatedly turns a narrow proton beam on and off at high speed as it progressively changes location to irradiate entire tumor volumes. Protons can be aimed with high precision according to the targeted tumors, even those with complex shapes, while minimizing the impact on nearby healthy tissue. Furthermore, customized equipment such as collimators and boluses are not required.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society’s challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal 2014 (ended March 31, 2015) totaled 9,761 billion yen ($81.3 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.