Fortis Healthcare to introduce India’s first upright proton therapy system

Technology will provide targeted radiation treatment for selected adult and paediatric cancers.

Fortis Healthcare, part of IHH Healthcare, has announced plans to install the MEVION S250-FIT™ Proton Therapy System™ from Mevion Medical Systems at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), Gurugram.

The system, developed by Mevion Medical Systems, will feature Leo Cancer Care’s Marie upright patient positioning and imaging solution and RayStation treatment planning software from RaySearch Laboratories. Subject to regulatory approvals and site preparations, Fortis will become the first healthcare provider in India planning to offer upright proton therapy and the first in the country to install a Leo Cancer Care system.

The technology is expected to expand access to targeted radiation treatment for selected adult and paediatric cancers. Proton therapy can deliver radiation more precisely to tumours while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissues and critical organs.

The system uses an ultra-compact proton accelerator and fixed-beam delivery architecture with a 360-degree upright positioning platform and integrated CT imaging. Patients are treated in a seated position rather than lying on a table beneath a rotating treatment gantry.

Fortis said the upright approach may benefit patients who have difficulty lying flat because of pain, breathing problems, limited mobility or anxiety. Its open design may also reduce feelings of confinement and allow patients to remain more engaged with clinicians during treatment.

The integrated CT imaging system allows patients to be imaged, positioned, and treated in the same upright orientation, supporting alignment and image-guided treatment workflows.

RayStation will provide treatment planning capabilities for the proton therapy system, with RaySearch continuing to develop the software for particle therapy applications.

The compact system can also be installed within an existing FMRI building. Fortis said this would reduce the space and infrastructure requirements typically associated with conventional gantry-based proton therapy systems, allowing the hospital to add the technology without the substantially larger construction footprint normally required.