Aarhus chosen for new national particle therapy centre

Aarhus is to house a national centre for particle therapy which will be capable of providing modern, gentle treatment of cancer patients. The first patient can be treated with particle therapy in Denmark in 2017.

“Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital have a strong and international research environment and enjoy a unique partnership, ensuring the best possible conditions for running a national centre for particle therapy,” reports Michael Christiansen, Chairman of the Board of Aarhus University. He is delighted that Danish cancer patients will be offered particle therapy complying with top-class international standards in future.

World-class research environment

Aarhus University has a long tradition for carrying out basic research of a high international standard in the fields of basic physics and basic radiotherapy research, as well as clinical cancer treatment. In the autumn Morten Østergaard (Denmark’s Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education) opened a 46-metre-long research accelerator at Aarhus University, which is one of the world’s best X-ray synchrotron radiation sources. This accelerator gives the university’s researchers from many different subject areas access to a unique research tool.

“The fact that our university now has this unique research accelerator and will soon have a particle therapy centre for treating patients opens up a great new potential for radiotherapy in future. Both the experimental equipment and the particle unit for patient therapy will attract researchers from all over the world, thereby strengthening our research in this field significantly,” says the Rector of Aarhus University, Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen.

Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital have also recently appointed two international researchers in medical physics with a view to achieving greater knowledge about advanced radiotherapy and cancer. Medical physics is a relatively new field in Denmark, but it is growing fast because radiotherapy has been upgraded at Danish hospitals to the highest international level.

Greater knowledge to promote effective treatment

Bent Hansen from the Central Denmark Region is delighted with the perspectives offered by the intensified research efforts:

“Each year 32,000 Danes are given a cancer diagnosis. The first step along the path to better treatment involves greater knowledge about the disease and the treatment options, including radiotherapy. Half of all cancer patients are given radiotherapy. So strengthening the Danish research environment in the field of advanced radiotherapy gives us a good chance of achieving unique research results which will continue to reduce the side-effects and improve radiotherapy treatment for cancer in general,” says Bent Hansen, who is the Chairman of Central Denmark Region.

High-precision radiotherapy

Radiotherapy plays an important role in modern cancer treatment, and is used for about half of all cancer patients.

Particle therapy is a highly precise form of radiotherapy which makes it possible to hit cancer tumours with a greater dose of radiotherapy while ensuring that healthy tissue is only exposed to a smaller dose. This increases the chance of killing all cancer cells while only damaging healthy tissue as little as possible, which would be a great advantage for many children with cancer in particular.

This form of radiotherapy is expected to have a major influence on cancer treatment during the next decade. Danish and international expert reports indicate that it will be relevant to replace 15% of the current form of radiotherapy with particle therapy.

“Each year the National Centre for Particle Therapy will be able to help at least 1,000 cancer patients to live a longer or better life. So this is a major step forward for cancer treatment in Denmark. It will also give us completely new options for research, leading to even more advanced Danish cancer treatment in future,” says Bent Hansen.

Construction starting now

To ensure an effective partnership concerning the National Centre for Particle Therapy, a board of directors will be set up with representatives of the most important stakeholders (the Danish Ministry of Health, the Danish Regions, Danish Multidisciplinary Cancer Groups and others).

The centre is expected to cost about DKK 770 million (DKK 295 million for construction and DKK 475 million for equipment). The Central Denmark Region has made the site available free of charge, and Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital have donated DKK 50 million to the project. Construction can start now, and the centre should be ready to receive the first patient in 2017.

The long-term vision for the National Centre for Particle Therapy is to be one of the world’s leaders in the field of research and treatment of cancer using particle-based radiotherapy.

Read more about particle therapy (in Danish only)

Read more about ASTRID2 (in English)

For further information:

• Chairman of the Board Michael Christiansen, Aarhus University: tel. 4042 3248
• Rector Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, Aarhus University: tel. 2338 2126
• Chairman of the Central Denmark Region Bent Hansen: tel. 4031 3707