Madison, Wis.-based UW Health, the integrated health system of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is beginning construction on the first center in the world to offer upright proton beam cancer therapy, it said in an email to Becker's on May 17.
Partnering with Leo Cancer Care, a medical device company based in Middleton, Wis., the system became the first to sign with the company to deliver proton therapy using upright treatment technology.
"This new approach has the potential to make proton treatment more effective, more accessible and much more patient-friendly," said Paul Harari, MD, chair of the Department of Human Oncology at UW School of Medicine and Public Health and a radiation oncologist at UW Health. "We are excited to be leading the way on this revolutionary concept that could become a model for other health systems around the world."
The health system broke ground on the facility May 17 and expects to offer the treatment to patients beginning in 2024.