Leading Hospital in China Selects TomoTherapy’s Flexible, Integrated Radiation Therapy Solution
MADISON, Wis. – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TTPY) today announced the Sept. 17, 2007 opening ceremony marking the installation of China’s first TomoTherapy® Hi·Art® treatment system, at PLA General Hospital, Beijing.
PLA General Hospital is internationally known as China’s first hospital, serving military, government and civilian populations with 2.5 million outpatient visits annually. It is considered a flagship among China’s hospitals and a national center for cancer treatment and research.
According to Major General Qin Yinhe, president of the PLA General Hospital, “The Hi·Art treatment system can provide our patients a better and more efficient treatment solution. For PLA General Hospital, the new system represents commitment to the best quality and practice, creating a model for patient care nationwide.”
President Qin stressed that the Hi·Art treatment system was chosen because it combines industry-standard CT imaging and helical intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), a state-of-the art delivery method.
According to Dr. Ma Lin, PLA General Hospital chair of Radiation Oncology, “TomoTherapy is the only fully integrated radiation treatment system, especially with the dose-guided adaptive capability. This is a very important differentiator. Also, treatment accuracy is the first precondition for effective patient care, and [the system’s] CTrue™ technology provides true accuracy.”
The September 17 opening ceremony will be attended by national and international leaders, including Major General Qin, and presidents from other national cancer treatment centers.
TomoTherapy Incorporated will be represented by CEO Fred Robertson, M.D., and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. Governor Doyle will attend the PLA General Hospital celebration as part of a trade mission in China and Japan. Both the governor and Dr. Robertson will address gathered dignitaries and leaders.
Doyle sees the installation as an example of Wisconsin’s role in global technology growth.
“Wisconsin ranks 5th in the nation in electromedical equipment exports,” said Governor Doyle. “The arrival of the first TomoTherapy system in China is an excellent example of the innovative technology coming from our state.”
Said TomoTherapy’s Roberston, “For our company, installation of the first Hi·Art treatment system in China begins a valued partnership both in business and medical technology, which will further the quality of global cancer care.”
“There is a remarkable gap in many aspects of cancer treatment in China compared to the U.S.,” according to Larry Wang, CEO of TomoKnife Ltd., the exclusive distributor for TomoTherapy in China. “In China, the average number of linear accelerators per million people is less than one, versus 13 in the U.S. And in China, only 25 percent of cancer patients are treated by radiation therapy, compared to 50 percent in the U.S.”
Wang continued: “The quick delivery and successful installation of the first machine shows our strong commitment to providing cancer’s worst enemy, TomoTherapy, to Chinese patients—and our effort to reduce the technology gap.”
About TomoTherapy Incorporated
TomoTherapy Incorporated has developed, manufactures and sells the TomoTherapy® Hi·Art® treatment system, an advanced radiation therapy system for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. The Hi·Art treatment system combines integrated CT imaging with conformal radiation therapy to deliver sophisticated radiation treatments with speed and precision while reducing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. The company completed its initial public offering in May 2007 and its stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol TTPY.
6 Sep 2007
