For the first time in Israel, Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) working in collaboration with Israeli company P-Cure, is now able to provide ground-breaking experimental proton radiation treatment to cancer patients.

This treatment is more precise and efficient, safer, with fewer side effects than any other treatment available. In the past, Israeli patients who wanted to receive proton radiation treatment have had to fly abroad for a long treatment period and finance the entire procedure themselves at an estimated cost of $100,000.

Rena Vahanish, a cancer patient with painful and complex tumors in her neck and mouth who had already lost hope after other treatments had failed, was selected to be the first recipient of this new treatment at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem:

“When I heard that there is an innovative treatment that is less painful and more focused than the treatments I have undergone to date and that it is possible to receive it as part of a clinical trial for the first time in Israel, I decided that I would give it one last chance,” said Rena.

“Rena’s condition is good. Her treatment is progressing satisfactorily,” says Prof. Popovitzer, Director of the Sharett Institute of Oncology. “It is a series of treatments using the most innovative technology. The best minds from Hadassah and P-Cure have worked for years. We are all excited about the first patient to receive such treatment here, within the State of Israel.”

Background of the clinical trial:

The collaboration between the P-cure and Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Centre has resulted in, for the first time in Israel, proton radiation treatments to be made possible for cancer patients who are suitable for a treatment trial. Furthermore, the clinical trial is being carried out free of charge to the hospital and the patients themselves. With FDA approval, it constitutes a rare opportunity to make an innovative treatment accessible to the Israeli patient.

P-Cure was established in 2007 and develops, manufactures, and installs proton irradiation systems for cancer treatment. The company emphasises that more than half of cancer patients worldwide are treated with radiation therapy as a single treatment or in combination with surgery or drug treatments, with most radiation treatments performed using X-rays. More accurate and safer irradiation is possible with the new technology of proton beam therapy instead of X-rays, making the treatment more effective without side effects.

P-Cure has developed innovative technology to minimise system size and improve clinical capabilities. In this way, the company offers oncology departments the opportunity to implement proton treatments at a significantly lower price than the alternatives. The company has also recently established a development and production centre in Israel, where the clinical trial will take place in collaboration with Hadassah experts.

Dr. Michael Marasch, CEO of P-Cure: “Hadassah and P-Cure make proton-based radiotherapy accessible to all patients requiring radiation therapy. The patients will receive targeted treatment without damage to nearby healthy organs and side effects. The system knows how to identify and focus on the tumor itself and even identify changes that occur in the tumor – even the smallest ones.’’

Director of the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah Medical Centre, Prof. Aron Popovitzer: “This is the first treatment of its kind given in Israel. We will start in the first stage with patients who do not have another treatment option or patients with tumors that are too close to strategic locations in the body and, therefore, cannot be given regular radiation therapy. These are patients with ENT cancer and recurrent brain cancer. The Hadassah team accompanies the process and leads the field of physicists and the many medical decisions accompanying the project. Within a short time, we will begin treatments to benefit cancer patients in Israel.

Editor’s Notes:

Read more about Israel’s First Proton Therapy in Hadassah International’s 2022 YEAR IN REVIEW, pages 28 – 29 by clicking here.