Overview
PTC Zürichobersee with its high investment volume will be built as a National Swiss Proton Therapy Center and will intergrate in a multi-centre health care system.
For patients, who are candidates for proton therapy, examinations, target volume localization and does planning can be done at the regional hospital. Via video conference with data exchange cases will be discussed and treatment plans will be digitally available in the PTC. Therefore a communication center together with the clinical trials office will be part of the proton facility (see >Service offerings and profile<).
The technical infrastructure will be designed under the following functional aspects:
- Communication center providing direct data exchange with the referring hospitals and connection to Oncology Information System (OIS),
- Special administration for participation in clinical trials with connection to OIS,
- Radiological department comprising CT, MRI, PET-CT and PET-MRI for examinations and therapy follow up,
- Treatment planning,
- Two state-of-the-art linear accelerators,
- Proton Therapy System
A Proton Therapy System in general consists of the accelerator (cyclotron), the energy selection system, beam transport system and the treatment rooms
Layout of the Proton Therapy Department at PTC Galgenen
The proton therapy center in Galgenen will offer the latest technology for treatment with proton therapy where beam application techniques which are developed at Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen AG shall be implemented as far as possible
The therapy will be practised in four patient friendly designed treatment rooms. Beam application units which can rotate around the supine patient (so called Gantry) lead the beam to the target volume inside the patient.
Foto: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd.
Gantry under construction
Technical integration, manufacturing, installation and service of the proton therapy system will be done by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd., Japan.
Commercial integration and procurement of the proton therapy system and its accessories will be handeled by LIONESS Therapeutics AB, Sweden.
Subcontractors will be various swiss companies.
Complementary technical infrastructure
In a number of cases a combined treatment of protons and conventional x-rays will be indicated. In order to be able to offer patients such a combination of conventional radiation and proton therapy, it is also planned to operate a conventional radiation therapy department with two state of the art Linear Accelerators.
Modern diagnostic procedures such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT (Computer Tomography) and PET (Positron Emission Tomography)-CT and PET-MRI are essential for the operation of a modern radiation therapy center. They will be used for decisions regarding treatment strateg, dose planning and treatment follow up. These imaging modalities will also be part of a radiological institute as a general diagnostic center.
The medical oncology department integrated in the center will take care of those patients who undergo outpatient chemotherapy in addition to radiation therapy.