TU Delft is joining forces with three other institutes to set up a centre for proton therapy to serve the Randstad region.
The consortium, HollandPTC, brings together the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam, the Leiden University Medical Centre and TU Delft.
As yet proton therapy, the latest generation of radiotherapy, is not available in the Netherlands. Proton therapy allows more accurate targeting of tumours than with X-rays, increasing the chances of recovery and reducing the side effects.
In the HollandPTC consortium, the four institutes are combining their expertise in the area of cancer treatment and radiation technology. A new facility is to be built in Randstad, making particle radiation treatment available to around 10 million people. HollandPTC will be operational by 2013.
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