Set for delivery this fall, and at six feet in diameter, it offers the same precise, non-invasive treatment capabilities as larger and costlier proton therapy systems, but with high patient volume, improved reliability and lower operating costs, OUHSC officials reported. It will allow for treatment of cancerous tumors and lesions while sparing healthy tissue.

“Being on the cutting edge of medical technology is exciting and a hallmark of top academic-based, comprehensive cancer centers,” Robert Mannel, director of the cancer center, said. “It means Oklahomans with cancer will soon have access to the absolute newest proton therapy technology at the Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City.”

Broad adoption of proton therapy has been slow due to cost, the large footprint required by the equipment  and technical complexity of the systems. Powered by a patented technology called TriNiobium Core, the MEVION S250 proton therapy system will help keep costs down and make management and operation of the system similar to that of X-ray devices.

The Stephenson Cancer Center is one of only 35 primary sites nationally in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. It already conducts trials with traditional radiation therapy. With the addition of the MEVION S250 system, it will provide new research opportunities to explore how proton therapy can be most effective in treating cancer.

“This is an important milestone,” said M. Dewayne Andrews, senior vice president and provost of the OUHSC and executive dean of the OU College of Medicine. “It is wonderful to know that the Stephenson Cancer Center will very soon be home to this revolutionary device.”