Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has opened its new St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center.
Here are three things to know about the center.
1. It is the world's first proton therapy center solely dedicated to children. Proton therapy, used in managing and treating pediatric tumors, allows physicians to administer targeted, high-dose radiation while sparing surrounding healthy tissue from exposure.
2. The center's rooms are equipped with spot-scanning irradiation, a technology for which Hitachi, a Tokyo, Japan-based multinational conglomerate company, received the first FDA Premarket Notification Special 510(k) clearance in 2007. St. Jude will be Hitachi's third proton therapy site in the U.S.
3. James Downing, MD, St. Jude president and CEO, called the opening of the St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center "an important step in our efforts to provide therapies that maximize cures while minimizing long-term treatment complications." He added in a news release, "The center is an engineering marvel made possible through the talents of many who are committed to offering children with cancer the best hope for the future."
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