Massachusetts General Hospital's ProteusPlus proton therapy system designed by IBA (Photo courtesy of MGH)
Massachusetts General Hospital has commissioned IBA to restore the ProteusPLUS proton therapy system within its Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center, the first installation the company ever completed, for between $80 and $100 million.
Installed 25 years ago and treating patients since 2001, the system is the first legacy machine to undergo a comprehensive restoration, according to IBA, which will allow MGH to avoid building a new center or decommissioning the entire proton therapy system.
The restoration includes the installation of robotic patient positioners, pencil beam scanning nozzles, power supplies, cables, and new software releases. The Mass General Cancer Center facility’s cyclotron, gantry structures, and magnets will also be repaired and refurbished as needed.
“This restoration will enable us to continue to treat patients in the same historic Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center while ensuring we are ready for future innovation,” said Dr. Anthony Zietman, chief of radiation oncology at MGH, in a statement.
Located on Mass General's main campus in Boston, the Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center is one of the healthcare system's two proton therapy centers, with the other being the Gordon-Browne Proton Therapy Center, which opened in 2020. Mass General is the only proton therapy site in New England and the only East Coast location with two proton therapy centers.
IBA has already received the first payment for the total cost.
