- Customers from Asia participated for the first time, in addition to customers from Japan and the US -
TOKYO, Nov 14, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Hitachi welcomed leaders from its particle therapy centers across the world to its second Users' Meeting, held in Tokyo on November 9th and 10th. Members from twelve world-class particle therapy facilities in the United States, Japan and Asia including those which are going to have Hitachi's system in the future joined the meeting to share their experiences with management, engineering teams and fellow users of Hitachi's systems.
Particle therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy which offers less invasive treatments for cancer therapy compared to other forms of treatments such as surgery with minimal side effects allowing for even the elderly to undergo treatments and enabling faster rehabilitation. As a result, demand for particle therapy systems is increasing all over the world. In April 2016, insurance coverage of particle therapy treatments in Japan was extended to include pediatrics and certain bone cancers - further evidence of it becoming widely recognized and promoted as an effective cancer treatment. Hitachi continues to partner with the world's most advanced treatment centers where over 12,000 patients have been treated to date with its systems and has established a reputation of high reliability with a proven track record. This year, Hitachi received orders from National Cancer Centre Singapore and Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital Eastern District Advanced Medical Centre, further expanding the particle therapy business globally.
Hitachi's Users' Meeting has been held since 2015 and is where the world's leading radiation oncologists, medical physicists and other medical professionals gather to share clinical experiences, opinions and requests regarding the system with Hitachi to refine the particle therapy system roadmap. This year, participants shared details about their facilities followed by a series of discussions regarding system performance and usability in an effort to achieve even more patient-friendly and effective treatments. Topics included patient throughput improvement and incorporating diagnostic imaging systems such as MRI and CT. Participants also described details of treatment and the impact of health insurance in various regions.
Dr. Shirato of Hokkaido University, who has co-developed their proton therapy system with Hitachi in 2014 commented, "We intend to continue our joint research and development activities with Hitachi. I also have high expectations on Hitachi that the comments and discussions from this year's meeting will help them further develop their particle therapy system."
Masaya Watanabe, Vice President and Executive Officer, CEO of Hitachi's Healthcare Business Unit, commented, "Leading edge particle therapy was achieved through Collaborative Creation between Hitachi and Hokkaido University. Moving forward, we intend to expand partnerships across many users and to continue these Users' Meetings to listen to the voice of the customer."
Hitachi will continue to strive to provide superior systems as a leading company in particle therapy though future Users' Meetings and collaborative activities with users. Hitachi hopes to contribute to the medical community by providing solutions truly needed by users through high value and improving medical quality and efficacy through healthcare innovation.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2014 (ended March 31, 2015) totaled 9,761 billion yen ($81.3 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.
Source: Hitachi, Ltd.
Contact:
Hitachi Ltd Corporate Communications Tel: +81-3-3258-1111
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