TomoTherapy Installs Second Radiation Therapy System at Edogawa Hospital in Tokyo

Growing Installed Base Makes Japan TomoTherapy's Second Largest Market Worldwide

TomoTherapy Incorporated announced that Edogawa Hospital has installed its second TomoTherapy® treatment system, as part of an expansion of its cancer center in Tokyo. With the debut of this unit at Tokyo Edogawa Cancer Center (TECC), TomoTherapy reports that its installed base in Japan has grown to 16 treatment systems at 14 hospitals. In addition to the Edogawa Hospital installation, during 2009 TomoTherapy systems have been introduced at Kita Fukushima Hospital and Fukui-Saiseikai Hospital.

"TomoTherapy offers the platform of the future for radiation therapy," said Takahiro Kato, M.D., Ph.D., vice-director at Edogawa Hospital. "We first introduced TomoTherapySM treatments more than two years ago, and since that time we have been using it to capacity, specializing in highly precise treatment of prostate cancer. By adding a second unit we will be able to meet growing patient demand and bring this innovative radiation therapy solution to more cancer patients."

The TomoTherapy system is a versatile CT scanner-based device that integrates 3-D image guidance with helical delivery to provide continuous radiation therapy from all angles around the patient. The combination of these technologies results in highly conformal radiation therapy that provides clinicians improved dose control and patients with the potential for reduced treatment-related side effects. In addition, the TomoTherapy system offers easy-to-use software for treatment planning, quality assurance, patient set-up and treatment delivery, to streamline processes and speed treatment time.

"The addition of a second system at Edogawa Hospital and our growth in the Japanese market is a testament to the benefits that TomoTherapy provides to clinicians and patients alike," said Paul Baumgart, TomoTherapy's general manager of Asia-Pacific Operations. "Working with our new distribution partner, Hitachi Medical Corporation, we have been able to reestablish Japan as a growth area for TomoTherapy, making it now our second largest market worldwide."

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and TomoTherapy officials were in attendance for the dedication ceremony of the second TomoTherapy treatment system at Edogawa Hospital on Sept. 15, 2009. Governor Doyle's visit was part of a trade mission, which brought a delegation of Wisconsin business and government leaders to Japan and China.

"TomoTherapy is furthering innovation that will bring new cancer treatment to millions of patients worldwide," said Governor Doyle. "Wisconsin is a world-leading research state in part because businesses like TomoTherapy are turning lab discoveries into commercial applications. We are honored to see that products and services developed in Wisconsin are growing in use in Japan and around the globe."

TomoTherapy representatives, in partnership with Hitachi Medical Corporation, will attend the 22nd annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (JASTRO) in Kyoto, Japan, Sept. 17-19, 2009. TomoTherapy treatment technology will be featured at a Sept. 19 Hitachi-sponsored luncheon. Paul Read, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Radiation Oncology, University of Virginia, US, will speak on outcomes and future directions for helical TomoTherapy-based stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of the lung and spine.

-- Kevin O'Malley, komalley@tomotherapy.com